Recap: Eclipse stay perfect with 80-76 win over Rhythm to close out opening week

The win allowed Eclipse to finish the season’s opening week with a perfect 3-0 record, while Rhythm fell for the third time in as many games.

Chen anchored four Eclipse players in double figures with 15 points after going 6-for-11 from the field, including a 3-for-5 effort from three-point range. She also added four rebounds and three assists to claim MVP 3 notice and 407 leaderboard points.

Morrow, meanwhile, tallied nine of her team-high 16 points in the second half. Center Mercedes Russell added a double-double with 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to go with 12 points off the bench from guard Kierstan Bell.

Guard Bree Hall paced Rhythm in the loss with a game-high 25 points, knocking down 10-of-14 field goal attempts en route to garnering MVP 1 honors and a game-high 501 leaderboard points.

Guard Jaylyn Sherrod followed with an MVP 2 performance after contributing 14 points with seven rebounds and five assists, while forward Natasha Mack chipped in a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.

KEY MOMENT

In a wild finish, Eclipse emerged victorious after Rhythm battled back from an 18-point deficit to even the score at 76-all with 1:55 remaining. Morrow gave Eclipse a two-point advantage with 1:43 on a lay-up before Chen extended the cushion with another lay-up with 10.2 seconds remaining. After Rhythm called a timeout, Hall had a chance to win the game but missed on her three-point attempt in the closing seconds.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Chen closed her first week of AU Pro Basketball competition in first place on the leaderboard with 1,583 points pending the result of Saturday’s finale between Glow and Gold Rush. Guard Rebekah Gardner, who scored eight points with six assists against Rhythm on Saturday, follows in second place with 1,529 points.

ECLIPSE NOTES

• Eclipse initiated a captain’s challenge on an out-of-bounds call with 6:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, which was not successful.
• Eclipse becomes the ninth team in AU Pro Basketball history to win all three games in a single week.
• Eclipse also becomes the sixth team in league history to win a game despite losing three quarters … The last time a team won a game despite losing three quarters came on February 20, 2025, when Team Sims defeated Team [Isabelle] Harrison by an 84-81 count.
• Eclipse’s four-point victory marked the 37th game in league history to be decided by five points or less … It is the first contest to feature a margin of five points or less since March 2, 2025, when Team Sims downed Team Siegrist, 83-80.
• Eclipse’s 10 turnovers are tied for the fewest by a team this season … Gold Rush also committed just 10 miscues against Rhythm on Friday night.
• In addition to collecting her second straight double-double, forward Natasha Mack also registered five blocked shots, which are tied with Emily Engstler for the second-most rejections in a game in league history … Engstler swatted five shots against Team Mitchell on March 10, 2024.
• Guard Kierstan Bell authored the 32nd double-digit scoring effort of her AU Pro Basketball career, including her second instance this season, after compiling 12 points off the bench on Saturday.

RHYTHM NOTES

• Rhythm became the 12th team in AU Pro Basketball history to drop all three games in a single week … It is the first time a team has gone 0-3 in a week since Team Harrison lost all three contests during Week Three last season.
• Rhythm totaled 53 bench points against Eclipse on Saturday night, becoming the second team in league history to record 50 or more bench points in a single game … The 53 points equaled the league record established by Team Mitchell against Team Smith on March 10, 2023.
• Forward Aneesah Morrow scored 10 or more points in all three games during Week One after her 16-point performance on Saturday.
• Center Mercedes Russell registered the fourth double-double of her AU Pro Basketball career with her 10-point, 16-rebound effort … She also becomes the 11th player in league history with 15 or more caroms in a single game.
• Guard Kia Nurse fashioned her 12th double-digit scoring output in 15 career Athletes Unlimited contests after contributing 10 points with three rebounds against Eclipse on Saturday night.
• Guard Bree Hall matched the league season high with her 25-point performance against Eclipse, equaling the total by guard Zia Cooke against Eclipse on Friday night … It also marked her second double-digit output in three games during Week One.
• Hall also becomes the 13th player in AU Pro Basketball history to earn MVP 1 honors despite being on the losing team.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Bree Hall (Rhythm), +90 points
• #2 – Jaylyn Sherrod (Rhythm), +60 points
• #3 – Kaitlyn Chen (Eclipse), +30 points