Recap: Team Sims Battles Back to Down Team Mitchell, 99-95

Eric Rhew

Mar 09, 2024

DALLAS — Guard Kierstan Bell anchored four players in double figures with a career-high 26 points as Team Sims rallied in the second half to down Team Mitchell, 99-95, in the opener of Saturday’s Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball doubleheader at Fair Park Coliseum.

The win allowed Team Sims to even its Week Two record at 1-1, while Team Mitchell dropped to an identical 1-1.

Guard Zia Cooke added 22 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field with seven rebounds to earn MVP 1 distinction and 513 leaderboard points. She scored 12 of her points after the intermission as Team Sims overcame an eight-point halftime deficit to earn the win.

Bell, meanwhile, scored 13 points in each half and finished the night making 9-of-19 shots from the floor along with a 7-for-11 effort at the free throw line to receive MVP 3 honors and 500 leaderboard points.

Forward/center Laeticia Amihere added her second consecutive double-double with 16 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while guard Odyssey Sims chipped in 18 points with eight assists and six rebounds.

Guard Tiffany Mitchell paced her squad in the loss with 24 points and nine assists, while forward Maddy Siegrist poured in 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the floor while grabbing seven rebounds. Mitchell garnered Game MVP accolades for the fourth consecutive game after claiming MVP 2 recognition.

KEY MOMENT

Team Sims used a 23-11 run over an eight-minute span in the second half to pull away for a 91-79 advantage with 4:15 left in regulation. Team Mitchell attempted to mount a comeback by netting 16 of the next 22 points, but a lay-up by Sims with 1.8 seconds remaining sealed the victory.

LEADERBOARD IMPACT

Bell’s 500 leaderboard points moved her up six spots in the league standings, landing the Florida Gulf Coast standout in sixth place pending the result of Saturday’s second game between Team Cloud and Team Gray. Amihere, meanwhile, rose 10 positions into 10th place with 1,698 points.

NOTES OF INTEREST

Team Sims initiated a captain’s challenge on a foul called against forward/center Laeticia Amihere with 3:07 remaining in the first half, which was successful … Team Mitchell initiated a captain’s challenge on a foul called against forward Teana Muldrow with 6:35 left in the fourth quarter, which was also successful … Teams are now 6-for-10 in challenges this season through nine games.
Team Mitchell became the first team wearing an Orange jersey to lose a game this season, ending the jersey’s six-game win streak dating back to last season.
All five of Team Sims’ games this season have been decided by four points or less.
Guard Essence Carson and forward Danni McCray ended personal seven-game losing streaks with Team Sims’ victory on Saturday afternoon.
Team Sims scored 35 points in the third quarter, tying the league season high for points scored by a team in a single period this season … Team Gray netted 35 points in the final frame against Team Sims on March 3.
Team Mitchell became the third team this season to register 10 blocked shots in a game … Team Sims set the Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball single-game record with 11 rejections against Team Mitchell on February 29, while Team Mitchell tallied 10 blocks in the same game.
Guard Sydney Colson, who did not play in Thursday’s Week Two opener, scored a season-high 14 points after converting 5-of-8 field goal attempts … Colson, who also dished out five assists, notched the 18th double-digit scoring output of her Athletes Unlimited career.
Mitchell has scored in double figures in all five games this season, including four consecutive outings with 20 or more points.
Cooke surpassed the 20-point mark for the second time this season and has posted 10 or more points in three of her five appearances.
Forward Teana Muldrow recorded the first double-double of her Athletes Unlimited career with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in the loss for Team Mitchell.
Bell now owns seven career games with 20 or more points, including her second this season.
Sims has scored 10 or more points in 19 of her last 20 games … She is the league’s all-time leader with 33 double-digit scoring efforts.