Recap: Team Effort Pilots Gold Rush past Rhythm, 97-86

Gold Rush evened its Week Two record to 1-1, while Rhythm dropped its second straight contest to fall to 0-2. 

Nurse, who garnered MVP 3 honors and 461 leaderboard points, headlined a group of four Gold Rush players in double figures. She made 6-of-17 shots from the floor, including a 5-for-10 effort from long range, while sinking all four of her free throws. 

Guard Kaitlyn Chen earned her second MVP 1 award of the season after pouring in 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field while chipping in five rebounds and four assists. 

Forward Teana Muldrow came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points to secure MVP 2 status and a career-high 507 leaderboard points. 

Forward NaLyssa Smith and guard Aerial Powers each led the way with 15 points apiece for Rhythm, while captain Aneesah Morrow narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 15 rebounds. 

Guard Kayana Traylor matched her season high with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, while guard Deja Kelly pitched in a season-high 10 points in 16 minutes off the bench. 

KEY MOMENT

Gold Rush pulled away in the third quarter by going on a 22-6 run to take a 69-53 lead with 2:16 remaining in the period. Guard Kiara Leslie led the charge by scoring seven of her nine points, while Nurse added nine points.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Chen moved into third place on the leaderboard with 2,185 points and stands as the only member of Gold Rush or Rhythm in the top five spots. Morrow enters Saturday’s Week Two finale in eighth place with 1,922 points.

RHYTHM NOTES

• Rhythm requested a captain’s challenge with 2.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter on a foul called against guard Zia Cooke, which was unsuccessful. 
• Rhythm has lost all five games this season following Friday’s setback against Gold Rush … In addition, forward Aneesah Morrow dropped to 0-2 in her initial stint as a captain. 
• Cooke has now scored in double figures in 11 consecutive games dating back to the 2024 season after her 13-point effort against Gold Rush 
• Guard Aerial Powers has scored in double figures in 4-of-5 games this season after her 15-point outing against Gold Rush.
• Guard Kayana Traylor recorded her second double-digit scoring effort in five games after scoring 14 points on Friday … She also had 14 points against Glow last Friday. 
• Forward NaLyssa Smith has reached double figures in scoring four times in her first five games this season, giving her 19 career double-digit scoring outputs. 
• Forward Aneesah Morrow has tallied 10 or more rebounds in 4-of-5 outings this season following her 15-rebound effort.

Next Game for Rhythm: Saturday, February 14, vs. Eclipse (6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT)

GOLD RUSH NOTES

• Gold Rush initiated a captain’s challenge with 1:43 remaining in the fourth quarter on a foul called against forward Teana Muldrow, which was unsuccessful. 
• Gold Rush knocked down 15-of-36 three-pointers in Friday’s win over Rhythm, marking the most three-point field goals made and attempted by a team this season … Glow previously held the mark with 13 triples against Eclipse earlier on Friday night.
• Gold Rush also set a league season high with its nine blocked shots against Rhythm on Friday, eclipsing the previous mark of seven rejections by Rhythm against Glow last Wednesday in the season opener. 
• Guard Kaitlyn Chen earned her first victory as a captain after dropping her debut against Eclipse on Wednesday … She also reached double-digit scoring for the fourth time in five games this season after her 19-point performance. 
• Forward Teana Muldrow authored her ninth career double-digit scoring effort on Friday night. 
• Center Kiah Stokes has pulled down nine or more rebounds in all five outings this season after finishing Friday night with 13 rebounds … It also marked the second time she grabbed 10 or more caroms. 
• Guard Kia Nurse has finished with 10 or more points in eight consecutive games dating back to last season, including all five contests this year … Nurse also crossed the 20-point plateau for the third time this season. 
• Nurse is one of three players to earn three or more Game MVP honors this season, joining Chen (3) and guard Odyssey Sims (4).
• Guard Bree Hall dropped 12 points to cross double figures for the third time this season. 

Next Game for Gold Rush: Saturday, February 14 vs. Glow (9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT) 

GAME MVPS

• #1 – Kaitlyn Chen (Gold Rush), +90 points
• #2 – Teana Muldrow (Gold Rush), +60 points
• #3 – Kia Nurse (Gold Rush), +30 points