rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Another week of Unrivaled action concluded with two blowouts on Monday. Rose defeated Phantom with ease 71-59, followed by Mist handling Laces 65-49.
Phantom fails to scare Rose
Chelsea Gray and Angel Reese have proven to be an elite duo for Rose.
Gray scored a team-high 26 points and led the team in assists with seven. Reese was equally dominant, scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, helping her team extend its winning streak to five games.
For Phantom, the dream of winning anything in Unrivaled is just that, a dream. The reality is they are 3-7, tied for the worst record in the league. Satou Sabally had a productive game, scoring 17 points on 50 percent shooting, but it’s not enough to uplift her squad from the basement of Unrivaled.
While Gray and Reese dominated the contest, it was Lexie Hull that began the game on fire. She scored five of the first seven points for Rose as they held a 12-7 lead during the first quarter. Sabrina Ionescu responded by scoring six-straight for Phantom, but Rose stayed in control, going on an 8-3 run to conclude the period and lead by double figures entering the second quarter.
Midway through the second, Phantom found a groove with Brittney Griner, Natasha Cloud, Katie Lou Samuelson and Sabally all scoring to take a two-point lead with 1:22 left in the half. Hull then converted on a 3-pointer to give Rose a one-possession edge heading into halftime, but the game was officially a contest once again.
In the third quarter, Reese re-established Rose’s dominance, scoring four-unanswered points to start the second half. Ionescu scored from the charity stripe for Phantom, but Reese scored the next four points for Rose and their lead was back up to nine. Gray made a 3-pointer, and a dozen-point edge felt like a comfortable lead. However, Gray took a rest, and Phantom went on an 8-0 run to get back to within three points with under a minute left to play in the third. Brittney Sykes scored a much-needed bucket for Rose on their final possession of the period, and they entered the fourth ahead 59-54.
In basketball, winning teams find ways to win, and losing ones figure out how to lose. Rose is a winning team and relied on Gray down the stretch to close things out. She scored eight of her team’s last eleven points, including the game-sealing 3-pointer. Phantom couldn’t muster up enough scoring to complete the comeback, and the result that looked obvious early on ultimately came to fruition in the fourth.
Stewie dominates in Mist win
Mist were in control during the majority of their win over the Laces. And that was because of Breanna Stewart. She led her team in points, rebounds, assists and minutes played. This was a smooth 21-point, 12-rebound night for the three-time WNBA champion.
DiJonai Carrington had an efficient game, scoring 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting, and Rickea Jackson was her typical bucket-getting self, scoring 12 points and pulling down eight rebounds.
For the Laces, Kayla McBride scored 19 points, but she didn’t get enough offensive help from her teammates to pull off a fourth-quarter comeback.
Laces started this contest with a short 4-0 scoring burst to kick things off. Both teams struggled to put points on the board early and the first quarter ended tied at 11. The rest of the half was a relatively even affair. Natisha Hiedeman and McBride scored the first five points of the second quarter for Laces to give them a 16-11 lead, but Mist responded with a 6-0 run of their own to regain the lead.
Jackson really started building her momentum in the second frame. She made her free-throw shots, scored inside and defended well. In the closing seconds of the half, Stewart converted a two-point shot to give the Mist a 29-27 lead into the break.
Things leaned Laces’ way to start the third. Hiedeman was effective from deep, and after five-straight points by McBride, their lead grew to five points. Once again, Jackson stepped up and hit a timely basket to close the gap, and after Carrington and Hiedeman exchanged buckets, Mist came out on top and regained the lead for good.
Laces’ offense came to a complete stop at 45 points, and Mist went on a 12-0 run that didn’t end until the fourth quarter. By then Mist just needed five more points to reach their target score. Courtney Vandersloot scored for the Mist, and then Stewart did what winners do and closed the game by scoring the last four points.
Key takeaways
Put a steak in Phantom; they are done! While there is still a mathematical possibility they make the playoffs, that’s all it is: theoretical. There is not enough time for them to turn it around and have the teams in front of them drop games. Rose is clearly rolling, and with their five-straight wins, including their victory against the previously unbeaten Lunar Owls, they are a force to be reckoned with.
In Unrivaled, you can’t have a scoring drought like the one the Laces had in the second half and expect to win the game. Had they not gotten so cold offensively, perhaps they could’ve won. For the Mist, Stewart is clearly the star, and Jackson is an electrifying young player who is finding her way as a pro. Similar to Rose, they are a dangerous team to play against as we head to the home stretch of the inaugural season.
