rewrite this content and keep HTML tags (remove this from content : rewrite this content and keep HTML tags)
Asking for better games than what Unrivaled presented on Friday would be greedy, selfish and unrealistic.
The first game of the weekend was a back-and-forth affair between Laces and Phantom. In the end, Laces came out on top 76-75 thanks to a Brittney Sykes game-winner.
Early on, Laces were in full control, leading 27-18 after one quarter of play. However, Phantom responded with Kelsey Plum dishing out dimes, while Aliyah Boston brought the elbows out and got to work inside the paint.
Phantom slowly chipped away during the rest of the half and trailed by just four entering the third quarter. Plum scored the next four points for Phantom, and suddenly it was a one-possession game. After a Boston layup, Phantom earned their first lead of the night with 4:07 left in the quarter.
Maddy Siegrist, Jordin Canada, and Naz Hillmon went on an 8-0 run for Laces to put them back on top, but another bucket by Plum and a dime to Boston for a rare 3-pointer by the big served as a statement that Phantom wasn’t going away.
Entering the fourth, Laces were ahead 65-60, making the winning score 76. Phantom went on a 9-0 run to start the quarter and flipped things in their favor. Alyssa Thomas then calmed things down for Laces, scoring three the hard way.
The Plum-Boston connection united again on consecutive scores, giving Phantom a 73-70 edge. Jackie Young proceeded to score on a driving layup while being fouled by Boston. After making the free throw, everything was even at 73.
The next team to score three points would win the game.
Phantom called time and got an easy basket for Boston on the inbound for two points. However, that gave Laces the ball, knowing a three would win it, and they executed on that scenario to perfection.
Sykes brought the ball up, and after a handoff to Young, who handed it back to Sykes, Slim took the shot and knocked it down to win by the smallest of margins.
Laces had a fairly balanced attack with four players in double figures. Thomas was the team’s leading scorer. She had 19 points on 80 percent shooting along with six rebounds.
Plum and Boston were the 1-2 punch for Phantom. Plum ended the game with 25 points and Boston was right behind her with 23.
Hive finally wins and Rose finally loses
It took four attempts, but Hive has finally gotten into the win column, beating Rose 78-75.
This was a shocking result, not only because Hive had yet to be victorious, but because Rose entered this game unbeaten. Let this contest be a reminder that anyone can beat any team on any given night.
It was clear from the jump that Hive came ready to play in this game.
Ezi Magbegor scored early, and so did Kelsey Mitchell. Chelsea Gray was doing her Point Gawd work for Rose as she reached the 400-point mark in Unrivaled. She is the first player to accomplish this feat in the league.
Hive began taking charge in the second quarter. Sonia Citron was knocking down 3s, Saniya Rivers was scoring inside and suddenly, Hive was in front by double figures. Gray then scored during the closing seconds of the quarter to get the deficit back down to nine.
It still looked like Hive was going to run away with this game. After a Mitchell 3, they were in front by 13.
But the defending champions had other plans. Gray and Azurá Stevens went on a two-player tear for Rose, helping them outscore Hive 13-4 midway through the third. Hive, however, remained in control as they were ahead 66-54 to start the final quarter.
Rose went on a 15-6 run to start the final period, and suddenly it was a 72-69 game with the winning score set at 77. Mitchell and Monique Billings then went on a 4-0 run, meaning Hive needed just one more point to secure their first win. Gray and Kahleah Copper kept the pressure on, making back-to-back 3s to put Rose at 75 points.
After a Hive timeout, they collected themselves, and Mitchell drove inside and scored over Stevens to finally end the game.
Rose lost, but they got some unreal performances from their stars. Gray ended the night with team highs in both points and assists. She scored 36 points and dished out seven dimes. Stevens had a very efficient game, scoring 17 on 8-for-13 shooting.
For Hive, Mitchell was the peak performer. She scored 24 points, which was nearly twice as many as any other player on her team.
Now that Hive has won, there is only one winless team—and that’s Lunar Owls. They play on Saturday against against Mist. Rose has a loss on their record, meaning no one is Unrivaled is unbeaten. They are now even with Laces at 3-1 for the best record in the league.
