Mercedes Russell in purple Eclipse jersey shoots over Brianna Turner during AU Pro Basketball game

Recap: Mercedes Russell leads Eclipse with career-high 23 points in 97-91 win

Eric Rhew

Feb 14, 2026

NASHVILLE — Center Mercedes Russell scored a career-high 23 points, including 15 in the first half, as Eclipse rallied after the intermission to secure a 97-91 Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball victory over Rhythm in the opening game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Nashville Municipal Auditorium.

The win upped Eclipse’s Week Two record to 2-1, while Rhythm dropped its third straight game to finish the week at 0-3.

Russell, who was selected as the game’s MVP 1 choice, made 8-of-9 shots from the field along with a 7-for-8 effort from the free throw line. She also added four rebounds en route to collecting a career-high 698 leaderboard points.

Guard Aaliyah Nye claimed MVP 2 distinction after contributing a season-high 19 points. She converted 6-of-9 field goal attempts, including a pair of three-pointers, while racking up 663 leaderboard points.

Center Tina Charles completed the Game MVP sweep by garnering MVP 3 honors after pitching in 20 points with eight rebounds and three assists.

Guard Shey Peddy added 11 points with eight rebounds, while forward Alissa Pili came off the bench to tally 10 points.

Forward Aneesah Morrow paced Rhythm in the loss, matching the AU Pro Basketball single-game record with 19 rebounds to go with 17 points for her league-leading fourth double-double of the season. Forward NaLyssa Smith equaled her season high with 19 points, while guard Aerial Powers tallied 18 points.

KEY MOMENT

Trailing by a 47-44 margin, Eclipse mounted its comeback by going on a 20-11 run to take a 64-58 lead with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter. Rhythm narrowed the gap to 71-69 early in the final period, but a 14-4 spurt over a three-minute span sealed the victory for Eclipse.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Russell owns the top spot on the season leaderboard with 2,641 total points after rising five spots in Saturday’s victory. Forward Alysha Clark holds the No. 3 position with 2,402 total points, while Charles surged up eight places to hold the No. 4 position with 2,297 points.

ECLIPSE NOTES

Eclipse initiated a captain’s challenge with 2.8 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a defensive foul called against guard Shey Peddy … The challenge was unsuccessful.
Eclipse set a new season high by attempting 38 free throws against Rhythm on Saturday … In addition, the team’s 27 made free throws were just shy of the season-high 28 free throws made by Glow against Eclipse on February 6.
Captain Alysha Clark upped her captain’s record to 5-1 after guiding Eclipse to a pair of wins in Week Two … She becomes the 11th captain to earn at least five victories in league history.
Center Mercedes Russell authored the ninth double-digit scoring output of her AU Pro Basketball career, including her third instance this season, after contributing 10 points in the first quarter on Saturday … She also surpassed the 20-point plateau for the fourth time in her Athletes Unlimited career.
Guard/forward Aliyah Nye’s season-high 19 points marked her second double-digit scoring effort of the season … She previously finished with 12 points against Eclipse on February 7.
Nye also registered her first Game MVP honors of the season, becoming the 18th different player to earn a Game MVP citation through 11 games this season.
Center Tina Charles, who has scored in double figures in 5-of-6 games this season, fashioned her first 20-point effort in AU play.
Guard Shey Peddy registered her 10th career double-digit scoring output with 11 points against Rhythm, including her fourth occurrence in six games this season.
Forward Alissa Pili has scored 10 or more points in 12-of-15 career AU Pro Basketball outings after dropping 10 points on Saturday … She finished in double digits in each of her three games this week after joining the league roster on Monday.

RHYTHM NOTES

Rhythm finishes Week Two with an 0-3 record for the second week in a row, marking the 13th time a team has gone winless in a week in the league’s five-year history.
Rhythm is the only team which has not secured a victory through the first two weeks this season.
Forward Aneesah Morrow’s 19 rebounds matched the AU Pro Basketball single-game record set by forward Emily Engstler against Team Cloud on March 23, 2024.
In addition, Morrow’s 18 defensive rebounds established a new single-game record, surpassing the previous record of 16 caroms, which had been reached three times.
Morrow reached double figures in scoring for the fifth time in six games this season after closing Week Two with 17 points.
Morrow has posted 15 or more rebounds in a game three times this season, which ranks as the second-most efforts in league history… Guard Crystal Bradford owns the record with four games of 15 or more rebounds.
Morrow also ends her first stint as a team leader with an 0-3 record.
Forward NaLyssa Smith finished with 10 or more points for the 20th time in her 21 career AU Pro Basketball games after matching her season high with 19 points … She has scored in double figures in 5-of-6 outings this season.
Guard Zia Cooke has scored in double figures in 12 straight games dating back to the 2024 season after finishing with 17 points.
Guard Aerial Powers has scored 15 or more points in 5-of-6 contests this season … She was held to just two points against Glow in Wednesday’s Week Two opener.
Guard Sequoia Holmes and forward Brianna Turner dropped to 0-6 on the season … They are the only players in the league without a game victory through the first two weeks.