Season two of AU Basketball came out of the gates with an overtime thriller. Also, fans were treated to a double-double performance by an Olympic gold medalist. All things considered, this season was all gas and no brakes. That being said, let’s recap the first two games of this season.
Game One: Team Blue defeated Team Orange in a classic by a 96 – 93 score
Credit: Jade Hewitt
Without question, Game One was a matchup between two evenly matched-teams. Team Blue, led by guard Courtney Williams and Team Orange, led by Odyssey Sims. This game had nine lead changes, and six ties, and was the fourth overtime game in AU Basketball history. NaLyssa Smith scored the first points of season two for Team Sims, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 boards in her debut.
Sims helped her team with her third career double-double in Athletes Unlimited, scoring 30 points with 12 assists. It marked her third-ever double-double in Athletes Unlimited. Besides Smith and Sims, Team Orange had two other players reach double figures: Kelsey Mitchell (17) and Kierstan Bell (21).
Your Game 1 MVPs… 🥁
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 24, 2023
1️⃣ @tplai55
2️⃣ @OMG_itsizzyb
3️⃣ Odyssey Sims#BeUnlimited | #AUHoops pic.twitter.com/NyQdEide3F
Williams’ team was led by veteran forward Isabelle Harrison, who scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds. What’s more, Theresa Plaisance was feeling from beyond the arc, hitting four of her five attempts. In all, Plaisance scored 18 points in 21 minutes on the court for Team Blue. It is important to note that Team Williams had 33 points off the bench to Team Sims’s zero.
Game Two: Jordin Canada Helps Team Gold in win over Team Purple
Credit: Jade Hewitt Athletes Unlimited
Although this game did not have the scoring as the one that preceded it, it was a close one throughout. Team Gold, led by Natasha Cloud, shot 54.5% from the field in the fourth quarter to pull away with the victory. Cloud’s team was led in scoring by Jordin Canada, who put up 21 points and nine rebounds. As for Cloud, she scored 15 points while dishing out five assists.
Your Game 2 MVPs… 🥁
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 24, 2023
1️⃣ @get_em_cb
2️⃣ @jordin_canada
3️⃣ @Graytness_15 #BeUnlimited | #AUHoops pic.twitter.com/gZ3wSawTVW
In defeat, Olympic gold medal-winner Crystal Bradford grabbed 14 boards while scoring 21 points for Team Purple, led by Taj Cole. Bradford made her AU Basketball debut in this game. Furthermore, Allisha Gray made her presence known in her debut as she had 21 points while going three of five from beyond the arc. Here, there were just one tie and three lead changes.
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