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The last time major women’s professional basketball was played in Philadelphia, local gal Dawn Staley was in the spotlight.
The now-legendary head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks was the point guard of her hometown Philadelphia Rage, one of the eight original ABL franchises that played just over two seasons, first in Richmond and then in Philly, before folding in 1998.
Almost 30 years later, women’s pro basketball in back in the city, as Philly is Unrivaled.
And once again, two local stars will take center stage.
First, Natasha Cloud’s Phantom takes on Breeze at 7:30 p.m. ET before Kahleah Copper’s Rose meet Lunar Owls at 8:45 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast on TNT and held at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the first -ever Unrivaled games outside the cozy confines of Sephora Arena in Miami.
Tash and team-first Phantom look to take down Breeze
Cloud is not just a Philly native, but she also spent part of her college career in the city, playing two seasons at Saint Joseph’s, where she was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year. That defensive grit, combined with an infectious spirit, has carried her from the A-10 to a championship-winning WNBA career and into a standout two-season stint with Phantom in Unrivaled.
Last season, Tash was one of the only constants for a Phantom team that struggled through roster inconsistencies. This season, she’s one of the reasons why the Ghost Gang is Unrivaled’s most improved team.
Cloud is not just enjoying one of the most efficient shooting stretches of her career, shooting 47 percent on more than 4.5 3s per game, but she’s also making an impact all over the floor, grabbing 4.7 rebounds and tossing 4.3 assists per contest. Cloud also has emerged as a trusted closer for head coach Roneeka Hodges. Although she has just one start in seven games, Tash often has been one of Phantom’s finishing three when it’s winning time.
How she has both accepted and excelled in her role is reflective of Phantom’s team-wide, team-first mentality—and suggests that their success should sustain, including in Philly on Friday night.
Coming off a close loss to Rose on Sunday, Phantom will be aiming to avoid a two-game skid, as will Breeze as they lost to Laces on Monday. With both clubs currently sitting at 4-3, this game also has potential playoff seeding implications. Past the season’s midway point, each club’s second game against an opponent acquires more significance.
When the two clubs met on opening day, Breeze prevailed, 69-62, behind 24 points from Paige Bueckers. Tiffany Hayes led Phantom with 20 points, while Aliyah Boston added 18 points and seven rebounds.
With a committed Kah, Rose will roll over Lunar Owls
From North Philly, Copper, like Cloud, has embraced the blue-collar ethos that defines Philadelphians throughout her basketball career, from Rutgers across three WNBA stops, including one that featured a title, and as a member of Rose in Unrivaled.
Her Unrivaled career, however, has been a bit checkered, primarily due to injuries. Last season, she played in Rose’s first seven games before she was sidelined for the remainder of the season, thus missing out on all of Rose’s run to the first Unrivaled championship. This season, she was absent for Rose’s first three games, all of which were wins. Her return then coincided with the the club’s three-game losing streak.
But Kah just scored her Unrivaled career high as Rose returned to the win column, suggesting she’s finding her Unrivaled groove just in time to show out for her city.
When Rose bested Phantom on Sunday, Copper did not only score 28 points, going 9-for-12 on 2-pointers as she also made two 3-pointers, but also amped up her defensive aggression. As Copper told Unrivaled reporter Bridget Howard after the win, “I know I can score; I gotta sit down and really guard out here for my teams to be able to get stops and get out in transition.”
With that mentality, Rose should find themselves leaving Philly with a two-game win streak.
After a loss to Hive on Monday, Lunar Owls sit in the Unrivaled cellar with a single win. Although a potentially explosive offense, Owls allow the most opponent points per game. If Copper and Rose can induce offensive issues for Lunar Owls, their defensive stops can become easy scores that lead to a big win for the defending champs.
On opening day, Rose reveled in an almost 20-point win over Lunar Owls. Chelsea Gray kicked off her MVP-caliber season with 35 points, including all 11 points in the fourth quarter. Marina Mabrey and Aaliyah Edwards had matching 23-point performances for Owls. Just as Rose was missing a key piece in Kah, Lunar Owls were without Skylar Diggins, whose competitive fire should make the rematch more interesting, even if Rose eventually secures the win.
