Recap: Naz Hillmon rises to No. 2 on leaderboard in 75-67 victory
DALLAS — For Team Williams, it was the way they started and not the way they finished in Friday night’s Athletes Unlimited Basketball game against Team Cloud inside Fair Park Coliseum that was important.
Led by forwards Naz Hillmon and Isabelle Harrison, Team Williams secured the first two quarters and held off a late charge by Team Cloud to secure a 75-67 victory.
The win allowed Team Williams to remain unbeaten with a 2-0 record in the season’s opening week, while Team Cloud saw its record drop to 1-1.
Hillmon, the game’s MVP 1 selection, authored her first career double-double in Athletes Unlimited play with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The former Michigan star was 7-for-10 from the field and grabbed seven offensive boards in 28 minutes.
Harrison, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, added 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor along with seven rebounds. Guard Evina Westbrook secured MVP 3 notice with nine points and four assists.
Team Cloud was paced by its captain as guard Natasha Cloud scored a game-high 18 points with eight rebounds, while guard Jordin Canada chipped in 17 markers with six assists and three steals en route to securing MVP 2 distinction.
KEY MOMENT
Team Williams held a slim three-point lead with 2:51 left in the first quarter before pulling away with a 14-5 run over the next five minutes. Team Cloud pulled to within 52-51 on a pair of free throws from Canada with 2:48 left in the third period before an 11-point outburst by Team Williams created some separation.
LEADERBOARD IMPACT
Hillmon, who registered 549 leaderboard points in the victory, took over the lead on the league leaderboard and will enter the final day of Week One with a 13-point advantage over guard Odyssey Sims.
GAME NOTES
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Team Williams and Team Cloud combined to make 13 three-pointers, upping the league season total to 67 triples through four games … Aspiration is committed to planting 10 trees for every three-pointer made during the 2023 season as part of the “Trees for Threes” promotion.
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Team Williams registered 17 assists on its 28 made field goals, including eight assists from guard Courtney Williams.
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Cloud fashioned her 14th career double-digit scoring output after ending Friday’s game with 18 points … She also added a team-high eight rebounds.
GAME MVPS
- #1 – Naz Hillmon (Team Williams, +90)
- #2 – Jordin Canada (Team Cloud, +60)
- #3 – Evina Westbrook (Team Williams, +30)
