Unrivaled fans were treated to a pair of excellent games on Friday night, featuring Vinyl versus Laces and Mist versus Phantom.
In the first game, the teams went back and forth in the first quarter. Laces took an early lead but Vinyl answered back. With Rhyne Howard leading the way for Vinyl and Jackie Young and Alyssa Thomas for Laces, there was plenty of action. It wasn’t until midway through the second quarter that Vinyl began to pull away, with Dearica Hamby making a significant contribution.
By halftime, Vinyl had built a 36 – 26 lead. In the third quarter, Vinyl had a 12-point lead when Laces began to sink some shots, particularly from Young. She brought Laces to within five points by the end of the quarter. At the beginning of the fourth, with a winning score of 64 looming, Thomas scored two two-point shots to give the Laces a 54 – 53 lead, which Jordin Canada then answered with a two to put Vinyl on top.
Another shot by Thomas gave it back to Laces, and then Howard hit a three to put Vinyl back up. Tiffany Hayes brought Laces to within one point, followed by a 2 point shot by Thomas. With the score 63 – 62 Laces, Thomas fouled Hamby, who went on to score the two-point free throw, and give the victory to Vinyl, 64 – 63.
Dearica gets the Game Winner for Vinyl 🎶 pic.twitter.com/8i4mUnEkHh
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) March 1, 2025
The three Vinyl starters, Howard, Hamby, and Canada, scored 24, 17, and 10 respectively. Young and Thomas led Laces with 16 each. Also, Kayla McBride had something of a night with 12 and Hayes with 11. Vinyl and Laces are tied at 5 – 6 each with Laces in the No. 4 spot.
Game Two of the Unrivaled Doubleheader: Mist Versus Phantom
In the second game, it was full speed ahead for Mist and Phantom. With Mist at the No. 5 spot and Phantom at No. 6, a win was crucial for each team. But would it be too little too late? Not as far as Mist was concerned. From the tip, Mist was on a mission, and came out of the gate on fire. Breanna Stewart was having one of her better games for Mist, playing with more urgency than we’ve seen in previous matches.
The same could be said for Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner for Phantom, who looked more like what we’ve been used to seeing in the WNBA. But the edge went to Mist in the first quarter, ending it with a ten point lead, 31 – 21. The second quarter saw Phantom try to close in, but never got closer than seven points.
Even with Griner and Ionescu pulling their weight, Stewart, along with Jewell Loyd, kept Mist ahead, with a halftime score of 51 – 42 Mist. The third quarter was the beginning of Phantom’s end. Mist went on a tear, and opened up a 20 point lead with contributions from the entire team.
The quarter ended with a score of 77 – 57 Mist, making Phantom’s chances for a win almost impossible. In the fourth, Mist outscored Phantom 11 – 5, with the game ending on a three-point shot from Loyd, giving Mist an 88 – 62 win.
Dance if you got the dub 😶🌫️
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) March 1, 2025
Loyd gets Mist the Game Winner 🐍 pic.twitter.com/LrQkRuOGMx
Final Thoughts
With Mist on a two-game winning streak, and No. 4 Laces on a three-game losing streak, can Mist overtake Laces? Phantom next faces Lunar Owls. Mist will face a surging Rose, who are on a five-game winning streak. Both tough match-ups for teams trying to secure a playoff spot.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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