Unrivaled: A Lunar Owls win, a Paige Bueckers masterclass and more

It took five attempts, but Lunar Owls have finally won a game, beating Vinyl 68-57.

During the first half, the contest was fairly even with Vinyl ahead by one. During the third quarter, Lunar Owls began pulling away. Aaliyah Edwards, Marina Mabrey and Skylar Diggins all scored as part of a 7-0 run that gave Lunar Owls the lead midway through the third.

Rhyne Howard hit a 3-pointer for Vinyl that evened the game, but Owls kept on hooting, outscoring Vinyl 9-3 to end the period. In the fourth, Lunar Owls remained in control and won their first game on a Mabrey 3-pointer.

Mabrey was the Player of the Game, and rightfully so. Besides the game-clinching basket, she had 31 points and nine rebounds. Edwards was dominant on the boards with a whopping 18 boards. She also had 13 points.

Vinyl got good production from Howard and Courtney Williams. Howard ended the night with 20 points, and Williams had 14 on 70 percent shooting. However, with no other players in double figures and just 28 rebounds as a team, it wasn’t enough.

Paige Bueckers is Unrivaled

Paige Bueckers is a known quantity. Fans have witnessed her game for years now, and her greatness, in some ways, gets ignored. People assume she’ll be good, so unless it’s an extraordinary game, it’s not enough to be a Bueckers highlight performance.

Well, Monday presented just that.

Bueckers made it rain in Florida with 37 points on 14-for-19 shooting. She had five 3-pointers, and it didn’t matter if she took shot attempts above the break, off the dribble or via catch-and-shoot scenarios; if Bueckers pulled up, it was likely going in.

The scoring earns Bueckers the attention, but it’s her other skills that led Breeze to an 83-64 win. As an elite guard, she used her gravity to get her paint touches and kick out to Breeze’s shooters for open looks. Bueckers ended the night with five assists.

Add in her eight boards and some good defensive moments, and this game was a prime example of why she is one of the most electrifying players in all of basketball—and is rapidly making a case as the best one at Unrivaled.

Besides Bueckers, Cameron Brink also shined for Breeze. She scored 18 points on 50 percent shooting. Dominque Malonga is also quickly getting comfortable in 3×3 action. She had 16 points and 15 boards.

Mist struggled with shooting in this game. They shot 32 percent from the field as a team. Breanna Stewart had 26 points, and Allisha Gray ended the game with 20, but the scoring struggles in the third quarter ultimately buried them.