If you wanted close games, one of Unrivaled’s Saturday matches delivered, while the other didn’t. Phantom blew out the Lunar Owls 94-60 before Mist-Laces went down to the wire, with Mist winning 83-81.
While the latter was closer, it ended in a whimper with Breanna Stewart winning the game at the charity stripe.
Can anyone help Marina Mabrey?
Lunar Owls didn’t stand much of a chance against Phantom.
Kelsey Plum was spectacular for Phantom, scoring 38 points on 16-for-22 shooting. Lunar Owls had no answer for her offensive onslaught, and it put the game out of their reach early on.
Plum also had 11 assists and eight rebounds. While Plum was the best player for Phantom, she didn’t beat the Lunar Owls alone. Aliyah Boston had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Kiki Iriafen contributed 15 points.
For Lunar Owls, Marina Mabrey is the only one who got going. She scored a whopping 32 points, but did so on inefficient shooting, going 9-for-21 from the field. Now, Lunar Owls are 0-2 and have lost both games in blowout fashion. To flip the script, Mabrey will need someone to help carry more of the offensive load.
A Mist-Laces banger ends in a whimper
Laces led Mist 71-64 entering the fourth quarter, meaning the winning score was set at 82 for the game. Mist immediately went on a 6-2 run to get within three points of Laces.
What should have been a classic finsih ended a dud as Breanna Stewart won the game from the free throw line.
Typically, basketball games rarely end via a free throw. But with the result being based on reaching a target score, an uncommon boring finish—a free throw—is a bit more likely at Unrivaled. The solution won’t be easy to solve, but this is a problem for this relatively new league.
Mist’s comeback was a group effort, but Stewie shined brightest. She had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win. While Stewart had the most complete game, Allisha Gray was the most electrifying player for the Mist. Gray ended the game with 28 points.
For Laces, Brittney Sykes had an elite game. She finished with 29 points. Alyssa Thomas was also a top contributor from the frontcourt with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Now that all teams have played a pair of games there are a trio of teams unbeaten in Unrivaled: Breeze, Rose and Mist. On Sunday, one of these team will fall since Rose and Breeze will be facing each other. Hopefully, the game isn’t decided at the free throw line.
