by Eric Rhew
NASHVILLE — The trio of forwards Theresa Plaisance, Alissa Pili, and Maya Caldwell combined to score 57 points and grab 21 rebounds as Team Colson secured an 82-63 victory over Team Bell in the opener of Saturday’s Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball doubleheader at Nashville Memorial Auditorium.
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.
NOTES: Pili becomes the 57th player in AU Pro Basketball history to claim a Game MVP award with her MVP 2 certificate on Saturday night.
