In the first Unrivaled game Friday night, unbeaten Lunar Owls faced Rose, looking to get above .500. That they did, and in strong, statement fashion.
From the tip, Lunar Owls looked off. Whether fatigue, not having played for a while, or simply the unknown, the Owls just didn’t look sharp. The shooting was not precise, and there was not a lot of defense. Rose, on the other hand, came out strong, effective, and focused. Even though the first quarter was relatively close, Rose took a 23 – 16 lead.
The Owls didn’t fare any better in the second quarter, and with Napheesa Collier‘s early foul trouble, the play was still tentative. Chelsea Gray, Brittney Sykes, and Angel Reese all gave Rose the boost they needed, widening the gap at half-time to 49 – 38. The Owls found some gas to put in the tank in the third quarter and started to claw their way back into the game.
They outscored Rose 17 – 11, bringing the score to 61 – 55 in favor of Rose. That was as close as the Owls would get. The Rose finished with a 72 – 63 win, handing the Owls their first loss.
ROSE DUB 🌹
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 22, 2025
Slim gets the Game Winner over the Lunar Owls with a free throw 👑 pic.twitter.com/buQQdhhzVv
Gray led the way for Rose with 26 points, Reese scored a double-double with 22 points and 21 rebounds, and Sykes added 16. Lexie Hull contributed eight points. Skylar Diggins-Smith led the Owls with 22 points, Allisha Gray had 19, and Collier added 16. In limited minutes, Shakira Austin scored four and Courtney Williams two.
Game Two of the Unrivaled Basketball Doubleheader
In the second game, Mist looked to get back in the winning column and Vinyl tried to inch closer to .500. With Mist still missing NaLyssa Smith and Vinyl without Arike Ogunbowale, the two squads battled it out in a well-paced game. Vinyl managed to maintain a slim lead throughout the first half, going into halftime with a 43 – 36 lead.
Mist found some juice in the third quarter, with Jewell Loyd, Courtney Vandersloot, and Aaliyah Edwards making key contributions. Mist was able to pull within two points making it 58 – 60 going into the fourth, with the winning score to be 71. Loyd tied the game at 60 all in the fourth. However, the Mist never took another lead, being outscored 12 – 5, giving Vinyl a 72 – 65 win.
TURN UP THE VOLUME!!! We got a Vinyl DUB!! 🎶 pic.twitter.com/xGQ84U4G1a
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) February 22, 2025
Courtney Vandersloot led the way for Mist with 21 points, followed by Breanna Stewart with 18 and Jewel Loyd with 12. Rhyne Howard led the Vinyl with 26 points, with 23 by Dearica Hamby, 13 for Aliyah Boston, and 10 for Jordin Canada. However, it was Rae Burrell who scored the winning bucket.
The season is getting near the playoffs and only the top four teams will qualify. Both the Mist and Phantom will need a whole load of magic to make the playoffs in Unrivaled.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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