During AU Basketball in its first-ever season, there have been standout performances and this game eight was no different. With this in mind, Team Cloud, led by Washington Mystics guard Natasha Cloud, became the fifth team to score over 100 points or more in a game this season.
The squad put up 105 points on Team Russell, led by Seattle Storm center Mercedes Russell. In total, Team Cloud scored 56, or 53.3 percent, of its points in the second half.
Team Cloud shot 51.9 percent from the field in the 105 –94 win over Team Russell. Significantly, they became the fifth team to shoot 50 percent or better in an AU Basketball game this season. Also, Cloud and her team shot an amazing 60 percent from the field in the fourth quarter.
Moreover, the teams combined to shoot 35-of-38 (92.1 percent) from the charity stripe in the game. Cloud’s squad won the rebound by a 42-38 margin over Russell’s team, but Team Russell had a 20-17 advantage in assists.
Furthermore, Team Cloud scored 44 of its points in the paint and had a 22-14 lead in points off turnovers. Team Cloud was up by 19 points late in the third quarter, marking the biggest lead at any juncture by a team this season.
Team Cloud
Credit: Jade Hewitt – Athletes Unlimited
All things considered, Cloud has been putting on a clinic in AU Basketball thus far. She scored a season-high 30 points to lead her team to victory. What’s more, it marked the Mystics guard’s first 30-point performance of the season and just the fourth 30-point game this season.
The former Saint Joesph’s Hawk made 12-of-20 shots from the field, including a 5-for-10 display from beyond the arc. Equally important is her eight assists to go with a team-high seven rebounds in 36 minutes.
30 points.
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 3, 2022
7 rebounds.
8 assists.
An impressive performance from team captain, @T_Cloud4 👏 pic.twitter.com/LpF3LDkejv
Next, Connecticut Sun guard/forward DiJonai Carrington added 21 points to Team Cloud’s victory, making 8-of-16 field goal attempts and 4-of-5 free throws. The former Baylor Bear put up her second 20-point game of the year. Specifically, Carrington has scored double figures in all four of her AU Basketball appearances.
Former Los Angeles Sparks center Kalani Brown made 7-of-9 field goal attempts on her way to a 17-point scoring effort. Not to mention, Brown also added seven rebounds to match Cloud for team-high honors.
Team Russell
Credit: Jade Hewitt – Athletes Unlimited
Altogether, Russell produced her third double-double in four games after leading her team with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Storm center shot 6-for-13 (46.2 percent) from the field and was a perfect 8-of-8 at the free-throw line. To point out, five of Russell’s rebounds were on the offensive side of the court.
By comparison, former Penn State center Nikki Greene scored 13 points and took down 11 rebounds to post her first double-double of the season, converting 6-of-8 field-goal attempts. All in all, Greene scored 10 points in her three Week One games.
ACCESS DENIED 🚫@XxNik_NakxX with a HUGE block 🤯#BeUnlimited | #AUHoops pic.twitter.com/zZqGEXOl3n
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 3, 2022
Concurrently, Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell had her fourth consecutive double-digit scoring effort with 17 points in the loss. Mitchell was 5-of-11 from the field, including a 2-for-4 effort from three-point range, and made all five of her free throws.
Athletes Unlimited Basketball: Game Eight MVPs (Total Points)
MVP 1: Cloud (Team Cloud) – 90 points (596 points)
MVP 2: Mitchell (Team Russell) – 60 points (292 points)
MVP 3: Carrington (Team Cloud) – 30 points (386 points)
Your Game 8️⃣ MVPs are… 🥁
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 3, 2022
1️⃣ @T_Cloud4
2️⃣ @Kelz_Hoop
3️⃣ @DijonaiVictoria #BeUnlimited | #AUHoops pic.twitter.com/ZFOL2pZo3i
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