Season Three of AU Hoops tipped off in Dallas, Texas as 40 of the best basketball players compete to become a champion. Let us recap both games in the doubleheader as the scoring was plentiful with some impressive debuts.
Game One: Team Gray and its block party in their win over Team Hull
Credit: Jade Hewitt
To begin, Allisha Gray and her orange squad jumped out to a 21 – 9 and never looked back in the 88 – 67 victory. Gray led the way in the scoring department with 26 points as six players had double figures on the team. The Atlanta Dream guard won the first MVP 1 honors with her efforts as she added nine rebounds and seven assists. Her 741 leaderboard points are the most in an Athletes Unlimited season-opening game in league history,
Teammate Natasha Cloud and her contribution of 13 points, six assists, and three rebounds gave her MVP 2 honors. First-year AU Hoops player Adut Bulgak was the MVP 3 thanks to her 12 points and six boards. It is important to note that Team Gray had nine blocks in this game. Six of those blocks came from forward Emily Engstler. Engstler’s six blocks are the most in any game in league history.
WHAT A DEBUT 👏
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) March 1, 2024
One game in and @em__baller is already breaking records 🤯#AUProHoops pic.twitter.com/ScUKbeREYa
Despite the loss, Theresa Plaisance and AU rookie Haley Jones had 15 and 14 points, respectively, for Lexie Hull‘s team. Team Hull and their 67 points were the fewest in a game since February 2023.
Game Two: Sims guides her team to a close win in AU Hoops over Team Mitchell
Credit: Jade Hewitt
All things considered, Game Two of the doubleheader was a game for lovers of high-scoring matchups. There were 12 ties and 14 lead changes in the game where 20+ points were scored by each team in all but one quarter. Odyssey Sims is no stranger to winning MVP 1 honors as she nearly got a triple-double with 33 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds. Overall, it was her sixth career double-double in AU Hoops as she had 801 points to the leaderboard.
Additionally, guard Sequoia Holmes earned MVP 3 honors in her debut with 14 points, going 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Like Holmes, guard Te’a Cooper made her debut as she scored 11 points. Veteran center Kalani Brown picked up the fifth double-double of her AU Hoops career. Brown had 12 points along with snagging a team-high 10 rebounds.
Team Sims put on a show 🔥 #AUProHoops | 📺 @WNBA App pic.twitter.com/B810hF1OFO
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) March 1, 2024
For Kelsey Mitchell‘s team, Laeticia Amihere got MVP 2 honors in the loss. The Dream forward/center had 16 points with four rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots, and two steals. Mitchell led her squad with 19 points and seven rebounds. What’s more, both teams combined for 21 blocks, setting a new all-time record. in AU Hoops.
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