Recap: Kia Nurse, Rhythm hold off Eclipse for 91-87 win

The win lifted Rhythm’s Week Four record to 1-2, while Eclipse dipped to an identical 1-2.

Nurse earned MVP 1 honors with 516 leaderboard points after knocking down 8-of-22 shots from the field in addition to a 6-for-7 effort from the free throw line.

Forward Tina Charles added a double-double with 19 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to secure MVP 2 accolades, while guard Aerial Powers came off the bench to contribute 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-5 showing from three-point range.

Center Mercedes Russell and guard Jaylyn Sherrod each pitched in 10 points.

Guard Kierstan Bell paced Eclipse in the loss with 19 points to garner MVP 3 distinction, making 7-of-17 field goal attempts, including a 5-of-14 outing from beyond the arc.

Forward NaLyssa Smith authored a double-double for Eclipse with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while guard Kaitlyn Chen added 11 points with five rebounds and five assists. Guard/forward Aaliyah Nye chipped in 12 points to go with 10 points from guard Sarah Ashlee Barker.

KEY MOMENT

Trailing by a 74-68 margin with 8:28 remaining in the fourth quarter, Rhythm went on a 21-9 run over the next seven minutes to claim an 89-83 advantage with 1:40 left. Back-to-back lay-ups from Chen and Smith trimmed the Eclipse deficit to 89-87 before Charles sealed the win with two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Charles rose into third place on the leaderboard with 4,875 points after leading all players with 563 points in the victory, while Chen holds fifth place with 4,593 points entering the season finale between Glow and Gold Rush.

ECLIPSE NOTES

• Eclipse initiated a captain’s challenge with 3:01 remaining in the second quarter on a defensive foul called against guard Kierstan Bell, which was unsuccessful.
• Guard Kierstan Bell dropped to 6-6 in her career as a team captain, including a 1-2 record this season.
• Bell, who scored in double figures in 8-of-12 games this season, registered her 38th career double-digit scoring output … Her 38 games with 10 or more points are the third-highest total in league history.
• Bell garnered her 18th career Game MVP honor to move into a tie for fourth place on the all-time chart with guard Allisha Gray.
• Guard/forward Aaliyah Nye registered her third double-digit scoring performance this season with her 12-point effort.
• Guard Sarah Ashlee Barker finished the season with 10 or more points in 10-of-12 games, including all three Week Four outings
• Forward NaLyssa Smith finished in double figures in 11-of-12 games this season after pouring in 14 points against Rhythm on Sunday … She owns 26 career double-digit scoring games, including all 15 fixtures during the 2023 campaign.
• Smith became AU Pro Basketball’s all-time leader with her 17th career double-double on Sunday, breaking a tie with guard Crystal Bradford.
• Guard Kaitlyn Chen finished with 10 or more points in 10-of-12 games after scoring 11 points against Rhythm on Sunday.

RHYTHM NOTES

• Rhythm finished the season with a 3-9 record, including a 3-2 mark in its final five games … The squad started the year with seven straight losses before defeating Gold Rush on February 20.
• Center Tina Charles claimed her first victory as a team captain to finish Week Four at 1-2 … She is the 10th different captain to register a win this year.
• Charles authored her fifth double-double of the season, including her third in Week Four, after posting 19 points and 15 rebounds on Sunday afternoon … She also finished the season with 10 or more points in 11-of-12 games, including five 20-point efforts.
• Charles also grabbed 15 or more rebounds for the second time this season … She stands as one of four players in the league with multiple games with 15 or more rebounds.
• Charles claimed her seventh Game MVP certificate of the season, including four in the last five games, to rank second in the league.
• Guard Jaylyn Sherrod reached double figures in scoring for the fifth time this season, including three of her final four outings.
• Guard Kia Nurse registered 20 or more points for the sixth time this season after contributing 24 points on Sunday afternoon … She ended the season with 11 double-digit scoring outputs.
• Guard Aerial Powers surpassed the 10-point mark for the sixth time this season with 13 points in her season finale.
• Center Mercedes Russell posted her seventh game with double-digit scoring after finishing with 10 points.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Kia Nurse (Rhythm), +90 points
• #2 – Tina Charles (Rhythm, +60 points
• #3 – Kierstan Bell (Eclipse), +30 points