Albany Patroons beat Rochester behind new and familiar faces
ALBANY — The Albany Patroons used a big second quarter and offense from a number of young players as well as veterans in order to move past the Rochester RazorSharks on Monday afternoon at the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany, winning 110-94.
The Patroons had all of a five-point lead after the first frame but came up strong in the second set of 12 minutes, scoring 23 points and holding Rochester to just 12, all on three-pointers, and closed the half on an 11-3 run. During the second quarter, the Patroons had scoring come from all over. That allowed them to grab a 16-point lead at the break, 48-32.
“It’s always good to be able to score points. We got guys like Lloyd Johnson who can really score the ball, (Jamario) Moon, (Edwin) Ubiles, big Deandre (Thomas), Smush (Parker), Torren Jones was averaging about 20 plus a game. We got guys that can score the ball,” Patroons head coach Derrick Rowland said.
After the second quarter, Albany cruised their way through the second half and despite being outscored by one, they were able to pick up their third win in four games to kick off their inaugural season in the North American Premier Basketball League.
The Patroons were led by Lloyd Johnson, who had 26 points on the night on 9-12 shooting. He was one of four Patroons to score in double figures. Next up was 37-year-old Jamario Moon, a former Patroon from 2006-07 followed by an NBA career that spanned from 2007-2012. Monday was his first game back with this new Patroons team. He finished the day with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
“It was just like coming home. I felt comfortable out there, no butterflies, just excitement, just excited to be back out there,” Moon said.
He did admit that he did not think that he would be playing in Albany again but is pleased that he is. “It comes full circle for a reason. You never know what it’s going to lead to, whether it’s coaching, finishing up and owning a team, you never know. So I don’t question anything,” Moon added.
Former Siena Saint Edwin Ubiles had 18 points on the day. He is back playing in an arena less than one mile from where he played his college games at the Times Union Center. He had left school after his senior season to prepare for the NBA Draft. He went undrafted, but played in the NBA D-League before a four-game stint with the Washington Wizards in 2012, and then went to play overseas. He is now 31 and back at Siena working to finish his college degree. He says it’s for his eight-year-old twin daughters and seven-month-old son.
“We’re looking forward to it. I’d like to see my kids watch me do it,” Ubiles said.The Patroons are now 3-1 on the young season. They will be back in action on Tuesday night as they have another home game against the Ohio Cardinals. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.