Recap: Team Bell Claims Second Straight Win, 93-79

The win pushed Team Bell’s record to 2-0 in the final week of the season while Team Sims dipped to 0-2.

Bell, the game’s MVP 1 selection, knocked down 8-of-17 shots from the floor, including a career-best six three-pointers, and added five rebounds with four assists to collect a game-high 659 leaderboard points.

Guard Kelsey Mitchell followed with an MVP 2 distinction, scoring 23 points on 9-of-17 field goal attempts, including a 4-for-8 effort from beyond the arc, while adding five rebounds and four assists.

Guard Sydney Colson completed the MVP trifecta with an MVP 3 performance after notching a double-double of 13 points and game-high 12 assists. She made 5-of-10 shots from the field, including a 3-for-5 showing from long range, in 32 minutes.

Team Sims was led by guard Odyssey Sims, who furnished her second triple-double of the season with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while guard Air Hearn chipped in 19 points.

KEY MOMENT

After falling behind by a 44-42 margin, Team Bell rattled off 14 consecutive points spanning the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter to claim a 56-44 lead it did not relinquish. Team Bell made all five of its field goal attempts during the outburst.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Bell, who has tallied 600 or more leaderboard points in three of her last four games, remains in fourth place with 5,095 points, but trails guard Natasha Cloud by just 10 points pending the results of Friday’s second game between Team Cloud and Team Gray. Hearn, meanwhile, rose to fifth place on the leaderboard while Colson climbed five spots to 11th place.

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Teams are 11-for-33 in captain’s challenges through 21 games this season … Team Sims initiated a captain’s challenge on a foul called against forward Emily Engstler with 1:50 remaining in the second quarter, which was unsuccessful.

• Engstler matched the Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball single-game record with 18 rebounds in Team Bell’s win on Friday night, becoming the third player in league history to accomplish the feat … Forward Tianna Hawkins had 18 rebounds in a triple-overtime game against Team Cloud on February 26, 2022, while forward NaLyssa Smith added 18 caroms against Team Bell on March 15, 2023.

• Engstler has registered 10 or more rebounds in four consecutive games, averaging 13.8 caroms during the stretch … She also matched the league single-game record with 16 defensive rebounds, equaling the 16 rebounds by center Kalani Brown against Team Cloud on February 25, 2022, and Smith on March 15, 2023, against Team Bell.

• Bell, who earned Game MVP notice for the sixth time in her last seven outings, amassed 600 or more leaderboard points for the fifth time in her Athletes Unlimited career, including the fourth time this season … She has also scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games with seven straight 20-point performances.

• Colson, who scored in double figures for the third time in her last five games, reached the 600-point mark for the second time in her Athletes Unlimited career while authoring her third career double-double, including her first since February 26, 2022, against Team Cloud.

• Hearn has reached double figures in scoring in eight consecutive games.

• Sims posted her 10th career game with 10 or more assists while tallying her 11th double-double of the season, including the sixth instance this season … She also owns 24 career outings with seven or more assists.

• Sims’ triple-double is the third in Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball history, including the second occurrence this season … Sims has both of this year’s triple-doubles, while Cloud had the initial triple-double during the 2022 campaign.

• Sims is now 19-for-20 from the free throw line over her last four games after going 8-for-8 against Team Bell on Friday night … It is the 20th time in league history a player went perfect at the foul line with at least eight attempts.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Kierstan Bell (Team Bell, +90)
• #2 – Kelsey Mitchell (Team Bell, +60)
• #3 – Sydney Colson (Team Bell, +30)