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Holding 'Em Off
Patriots trying to keep slim first-place lead.

02.11.03 - The Fayetteville Patriots have a tendency of grabbing double-digit leads and letting them dwindle away in order to give the opponent a chance to send the game into overtime. The last two games, the Patriots have been able to halt playing in the extra period.

Huntsville guard Brandon Williams had his 10-footer in the lane bounce off the rim with 6.2 seconds remaining in the game as the Fayetteville Patriots improved to 3-0 against the Flight this season with a 78-76 win at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville.

The same occurrence happened Friday night in Asheville. The Altitude fought back from a 15-point lead, only to have its last second shot bounce off the rim.

With the slim victories, the Patriots held on to their slim half-game lead over Mobile who was a winner Saturday night.

"We came up with big stops," said Patriots coach Jeff Capel. "We just found a way to gut it out."

The big stops late came courtesy of Jeff Aubry, who leads the team in blocked shots, and who had three blocks on Saturday.

With 1:30 remaining in the game, Aubry blocked a Lonnie Harrell lay-up attempt to keep the Flight at a distance. A minute later with the Patriots up just two, Aubry blocked a Williams lay-up attempt that would have tied the game.

"I try not to foul first of all," Aubry said. "Second of all I just try to get a piece of it- I don't have to punch it into the stands to make a good play. If I can get a piece of it and kick it out then we can get it started."

Harrell led the Flight with 17 points and four assists. Rodney Bias had a game-high 12 rebounds.