Revelers Open with Road Party

Guard Terrell McIntyre led the Patriots with 15 points as the team fell short against the Mobile Revelers in their inaugural game. Revelers guard Rashad Phillips led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 6 of 15 from the field, 5 of 6 from the free throw line and knocking down four three-pointers. Eugene Edgerson pulled down 7 rebounds and Isaac Fontaine added 16 points for Mobile.

The Revelers jumped out to an early lead, and led the game 43-37 at the half. The Patriots rallied to tie the game midway through the fourth quarter, to the delight of the home crowd. Chris Andersen scored 11 points and had 7 rebounds, sparking the Patriots offense. Forward Greg Stempin contributed 13 points and guard Rasul Salahuddin had 12 points in the loss.

Coach Archibald admitted that the Patriots experienced different problems than they had previously faced in the preseason. “Mobile took away our transition game tonight,” he explained. “All eleven guys will have to play in our transition game. Overall it just did not happen for us tonight. We did not get the full ability of everyone on and off the team.”

One thing that did please the Patriots was the crowd support. Forward Chris Andersen acknowledged the role the crowd played in the team’s comeback. “The crowd helped us tonight,” Andersen said. “They gave us excitement, and that gave us a big boost of energy.”

Notes: The Fayetteville Patriots concluded their preseason with a 2-0 record, beating the Asheville Altitude (Patriots 76, Altitude 70) and the Roanoke Dazzle (Patriots 71, Dazzle 62). Head coach Nate Archibald was pleased with the team’s play, and commented after the victory over the Dazzle that “Our defense was great tonight and that is what is going to make us a good team."