truebluefan

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., February 25 - The Arkansas Rimrockers rode a 31-point night by Chris Shumate to a double-digit lead in the fourth, and then withstood a furious rally to down the Fayetteville Patriots, 135-123, in NBA D-League action at the Crown Coliseum Saturday.

Fayetteville drops to 6-24. The Rimrockers improve to 17-18.

The teams started out close and stayed that way until late in the third period, when a 12-4 spurt powered the Rimrockers to a 90-78 lead late in the quarter. But as the fourth goy underway, Mateen Cleaves hit for 11 points in a four-minute span to slice the lead to one. But on the ensuing possession, Shumate launched a three-pointer and Eric Daniels was whistled for the foul as the ball cleared the net. Shumate nailed the free throw and the lead was back at five. The Patriots were unable to get any closer the rest of the way.

"Shumate is a guy who does everything," said Arkansas coach Andy Stoglin. "He comes early. He stays late. His teammates like him a lot. He made me look good tonight because there were some people in our organization who wanted to cut him. But I wanted him because he's one of the hardest workers on the team."

The Patriots out-rebounded the Rimrockers 50-31, but committed 27 turnovers and shot just 47 percent from the free throw line.

"We couldn't finish off the comeback," said Patriots coach Mike Brown. "If we make half of our free throws, we win the game. I saw some good things tonight and we just have to build on them. And cut out the silly things like unforced turnovers and fouling the three-point shooter."

Kareem Reid had 23 points and 13 assists for Arkansas, while Brandon Dean added 21.

Cleaves scored a Patriots season-high 35 while dishing out nine assists. Sharrod Ford had 19 and Daniels added 16.

"Mateen dominated and controlled the ball," Brown said. "He's a good leader. He's the oldest guy we have. He has the most years in the NBA. And he's got the fire. It should be these young guys willing to run through a wall to get there. I need him to be contagious."

The Patriots return to action Friday at home against the Roanoke Dazzle. Arkansas plays at Albuquerque on Thursday.

The D-League offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-four (34) players have been called up to the NBA on 50 separate occasions. Ten (10) former D-League coaches, five athletic trainers, 11 referees and 30 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November of 2001.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The D-League is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.

For more information on the Patriots or the NBA D-League, visit fayettevillepatriots.com or call (910) 213-1005.