While Friday gave us some amazing Unrivaled games, Saturday didn’t provide as many thrills.
Although Lunar Owls were more competitive for awhile, Mist eventually pulled away to win 79-65. The nightcap was Breeze-Vinyl and the result was over long before the final quarter began. Vinyl won 81-66 to get back to .500 on the season.
The Allisha Gray takeover
Mist won thanks to some dazzling guard play by Allisha Gray. She went 11-for-18 from the field, finishing with 30 points. Gray didn’t just score; she also had eight rebounds
and four assists.
From the start of the game, Gray was aggressive, and Lunar Owls had no defender who could stay in front of her. While Mist controlled the entire game, Gray’s five-point flurry at the end of the third quarter ensured a comeback wouldn’t be possible for the Owls.
She also had the game-winning basket, making it a certainty she would be named the Player of the Game.
Breanna Stewart also had a strong game for Mist. Stewie scored five of her team’s first seven points, including her first 3-pointer of the season. That early momentum catapulted her to a 21-point performance. Like Gray, she also grabbed eight rebounds in the win.
For Lunar Owls, offense has been a struggle. Marina Mabrey has shown up for virtually every game, but it hasn’t been enough to win. Mabrey ended the night with 27 points and knocked down four 3-pointers. She was the only Lunar Owl to hit more than one shot from deep. She also had a game-high 10 rebounds.
Aaliyah Edwards also has stepped up and produced. She had 22 points. However, no other player was in double figures for Lunar Owls. Given how small rosters are in Unrivaled, teams really need four players to score consistently. Even though Skylar Diggins made her season debut, Lunar Owls still haven’t found that type of production, and it’s why they are now 0-4.
Rhyne Howard, take a bow!
The players on the Breeze might be the future of women’s basketball, but the present still belongs to Vinyl.
Dearica Hamby and Brittney Griner were two titans for Vinyl. Hamby was going back and forth with Breeze big Dominique Malonga, and she was winning more than she was losing. Hamby ended the game with 21 points in 14 minutes of play. Griner was equally impressive. The majority of Griner’s rebounds were offensive, with four of her seven boards getting Vinyl second chances at the basket.
While both bigs were great, Rhyne Howard was stupendous. She had 30 points, including going 6-for-11 from downtown, matching the number of 3s Breeze made as a team. Add in her three steals and seven rebounds and the game-winning free throw, and it’s clear Howard had herself a game.
Breeze is fun to watch. Paige Bueckers is electric, Malonga is fearless and Rickea Jackson is a certified bucket. Unfortunately for them, they quickly fell behind and were unable to regroup.
Their inexperience, along with Vinyl’s defensive pressure, led to a whopping 12 turnovers. Bueckers ended the game with 25 points, but did it on 9-for-20 shooting. Malonga had the best game for Breeze, scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Jackson also had 13 points.
If Breeze can work through their turnovers, build chemistry and grow up fast, they can be a dangerous team down the road. Currently, though, they are 2-2 and trying to figure things out.
