Recap: Team Colson Trio Combines for 57 Points in 82-63 Victory Over Team Bell

The win allowed Team Colson to close the opening week of the season with a 1-2 record, while Team Bell dropped to an identical 1-2 mark.

Plaisance earned MVP 1 accolades and a career-high 706 leaderboard points after sinking 8-of-11 shots from the floor, including a 5-for-6 effort from long range, en route to a season-high 22 points. She also added six rebounds with two assists and two blocks in the victory.

Pili, meanwhile, enjoyed her best outing of the opening weekend after pouring in 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field with five rebounds and three steals. She garnered MVP 2 recognition and closed her Week One schedule with 599 leaderboard points.

Caldwell fashioned a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to collect MVP 3 plaudits. She converted 7-of-15 field goal attempts and dished out five assists while earning 560 leaderboard points.

Captain Sydney Colson added five points with six rebounds and eight assists in the victory, while forward Alysha Clark contributed seven points with eight rebounds and three assists.

Forward Desi-Rae Young paced Team Bell in the loss with the first double-double of her brief Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball career, scoring 13 points with a game-high 11 rebounds. Guard Odyssey Sims added a team-high 21 points with six rebounds while captain Kierstan Bell chipped in 11 rebounds.

KEY MOMENT

Team Colson overcame a five-point deficit early in the third quarter with a 20-7 outburst, which included a pair of Plaisance three-pointers, to claim a 54-46 lead with 3:04 left in the period. Team Bell narrowed the gap to 65-59 just over three minutes into the final frame, but Team Colson nailed down the victory by scoring 17 of the game’s final 21 points.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Sims rose into sixth place on the leaderboard despite the loss after tallying 258 leaderboard points. Plaisance, meanwhile, follows in seventh place after climbing 26 spots with her career-high effort.

NOTES OF INTEREST

• Teams are now 2-for-5 in captain’s challenges through five games … Team Bell initiated a captain’s challenge on an out-of-bounds call with 8:02 remaining in the first quarter, which was successful … Team Colson also requested a captain’s challenge on a foul call with 44 seconds left in regulation, which was unsuccessful.
• Team Colson dished out 25 assists on its 32 field goals, but was outrebounded by a 45-43 margin.
• Team Colson also scored 48 of its 82 points in the paint and netted 20 points off Team Bell’s 16 turnovers.
• Plaisance posted the third 20-point game of her Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball career with her 22-point performance … It marked the first time she has netted 20 or more points since a 21-point effort on March 24, 2023, against Team Smith.
• Sims reached the 20-point plateau for the 31st time in her Athletes Unlimited Pro career, extending her league record … She also owns 43 career double-digit scoring efforts in 45 fixtures.
• Plaisance was named as a Game MVP for the fourth time in her career, including the first honor since claiming MVP 3 laurels on March 4, 2023, against Team Smith.
• Pili becomes the 57th player in AU Pro Basketball history to claim a Game MVP award with her MVP 2 certificate on Saturday night.
• After starting the season in 38th place on the leaderboard, Sims improved her standing by 32 places over the final two days of the week.

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Theresa Plaisance (Team Colson, +90)
• #2 – Alissa Pili (Team Colson, +60)
• #3 – Maya Caldwell (Team Colson, +30)