
Recap: Team Caldwell Overcomes 15-point Deficit in 82-79 Victory
NASHVILLE — Forward Alysha Clark anchored four players in double figures with 16 points and added a team-high eight rebounds as Team Caldwell overcame a 15-point deficit to secure an 82-79 victory over Team Harrison to open Sunday’s Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball doubleheader at Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
The win elevated Team Caldwell’s record to 2-1, while Team Harrison closes the penultimate week of the season at 0-3.
Clark, who collected MVP 1 honors and 626 leaderboard points, scored 14 of her 16 points after the intermission as Team Caldwell rallied from a 35-20 hole in the second quarter en route to the win. The former Belmont and Middle Tennessee State product was 6-for-12 from the field, including a 3-of-7 showing from three-point range, in the victory.
Guard Tyasha Harris garnered MVP 3 distinction after notching her third 20-point effort of the season, knocking down 7-of-13 shots from the floor, including a 3-for-6 performance from long range, in addition to sinking all three free throws. She also added three rebounds with three assists.
Guard Dyaisha Fair came off the bench to chip in 11 points for Team Caldwell, while captain Maya Caldwell added 10 points with four rebounds.
Guard Bria Hartley paced Team Harrison in the loss, earning MVP 2 accolades and 250 leaderboard points after scoring 20 points with four assists. The former UConn product was 8-for-14 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers.
Captain Isabelle Harrison narrowly missed a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds, while guard Lexie Brown netted 16 points with a team-high five assists. Forward Alissa Pili completed the double-digit scoring quartet with 10 points.
KEY MOMENT
Trailing by a 55-52 margin with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter, Team Caldwell took control by going on a 17-4 run over the next five minutes to claim a 69-59 lead it did not concede. Team Harrison narrowed the gap to 79-77 with 30.7 seconds left, but Team Caldwell sank 3-of-4 free throws to nail down the victory.
LEADERBOARD IMPACT
Harris climbed into third place on the league standings with 3,727 leaderboard points after posting her fifth game with 500 or more leaderboard points this season. Caldwell, meanwhile, remains in fourth place on the leaderboard with 3,607 points pending the result of Sunday’s Week Three finale between Team Siegrist and Team Sims.
NOTES OF INTEREST
- Team Harrison initiated a captain’s challenge on a foul called against Pili with 1.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, which was unsuccessful … Teams are now 6-for-19 in captain’s challenges through 17 games.
- Sunday’s opener marked the third game this season to be decided by three points or less, including the second straight contest … Team Harrison dropped an 84-81 decision against Team Sims on Thursday night.
- Isabelle Harrison squared off against her sister Dorie Harrison for the fifth time in her AU Pro Basketball career … Dorie Harrison has now won four of the five encounters following Team Caldwell’s victory.
- Team Caldwell posted the largest comeback win of the season after rallying from a 15-point hole in the second quarter … The margin is also tied for the fourth-largest comeback victory in AU Pro Basketball history … Team [Isabelle] Harrison erased a 21-point deficit against Team Brown for an 86-81 triumph on February 11, 2022, to top the list.
- Team Harrison is the 11th squad in AU Pro Basketball history to go winless in three games during a single week, including the second team this season … Team Nurse went 0-3 in Week Two.
- Clark registered her third double-digit scoring outing of the season, including her second in as many games.
- Hartley has scored in double figures in five of her last six games after finishing with 20 points on Sunday … She has finished with 20 or more points in three of her last five outings.
- Harris posted her eighth double-digit scoring output in nine games this season following her 20-point performance against Team Harrison in Sunday’s opener.
- Fair’s 11-point night marked the second time this season she has scored in double figures … She previously added 12 points against Team Harrison on February 7.
- Isabelle Harrison has reached at least 15 points in 7-of-8 games this season, including three straight contests.
- Harris and Hartley each claimed their fifth Game MVP selection of the season, which is tied for third most in the circuit.
- Isabelle Harrison finished a week 0-3 for the second time in eight career stints as a team captain … The only other time she failed to lead a team to at least one win came during Week Five of the inaugural 2022 campaign.
GAME MVPS
- #1 – Alysha Clark (Team Caldwell, +90)
- #2 – Bria Hartley (Team Harrison, +60)
- #3 – Tyasha Harris (Team Caldwell, +30)