As Week One of AU Basketball comes to a close, there have been stellar efforts by some well-known stars. What’s more, this opening week opened some eyes to some players to keep on the radar moving forward. The week provided fans with high-scoring matchups and plenty of trees to be planted. Without further ado, here are the recaps of Games Five and Six.
Game Five: Team Williams Finished Strong in the 89 – 72 victory over Team Cole
Photo Credit: Jade Hewitt
Team Williams, led by guard Courtney Williams, made history in their win. They are the fifth team in AU Basketball history to go 3 – 0 in a week. Here, forward Isabelle Harrison of Team Williams led all scorers with 28 points. In addition, guard Evina Westbrook helped out Willliams’ squad with 16 points in 35 minutes on the court. The University of Michigan standout forward Naz Hillmon added six points and five rebounds.
Your Game 5 MVPs… 🥁
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 26, 2023
1️⃣ @OMG_itsizzyb
2️⃣ @evinawestbrook
3️⃣ @nazhillmon #BeUnlimited | #AUHoops pic.twitter.com/R9vXYIaWCF
For Team Cole, led by guard Taj Cole, it was a week they would like to forget. Unfortunately, Cole’s team went winless in Week One despite five players scoring in double-figures against Team Williams. Ty Young led Team Cole in scoring with 17 points as she grabbed seven boards.
It’s important to note that both Allisha Gray and Crystal Bradford got a double-double in this game. Gray had 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Bradford led all players with 13 rebounds while putting up 13 points.
Game Six: NaLyssa Smith leads Team Sims to a win over Team Cloud
Credit: Jade Hewitt
Unquestionably, Indiana Fever fans know how good forward NaLyssa Smith is, but AU Basketball learned in this matchup. Smith put up 24 points and 12 rebounds for Team Sims, led by guard Odyssey Sims. On top of that, Smith ended the week with 38 rebounds, which is second to Bradford’s 40 boards.
As for Sims, she had herself a double-double as well, scoring 19 points with 12 assists. Moreover, Smith’s Fever teammate, guard Kelsey Mitchell had 21 for Sims’ squad. Team Cloud, led by Washington Mystics star Natasha Cloud, went 1 – 2 in Week One.
Game 6️⃣ MVPs ⬇️
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 27, 2023
1️⃣ @Kelz_Hoop
2️⃣ @NaLyssaSmith
3️⃣ Odyssey Sims#AUHoops | #BeUnlmited pic.twitter.com/GpMnhicNei
When it came to scoring, former Fordham Rams player forward G’mrice Davis led Team Cloud with 18 points. Additionally, Cloud and forward Jasmine Walker scored 11 points each in the 91 – 66 loss.
Who will be the Week Two Captains?
Sims will be a team captain for the second consecutive week as Harrison, Hillmon, and Smith enter Week Two as captains. Overall, it will be Harrison’s fifth time as a captain in her AU Basketball career.
The Week 2 rosters are set 🤩#BeUnlimited | #AUHoops pic.twitter.com/H6N5C5Xwyy
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 27, 2023
She tied Cloud for the most weeks as a captain in league history. If Week One is any indication, Week Two should be fun to watch.
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