Unrivaled: Big comeback keeps Napheesa Collier’s Lunar Owls undefeated

Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are co-founders of Unrivaled.

But entering Saturday evening’s matchup between their two clubs, the league had belonged to Collier, whose Lunar Owls owned an undefeated 7-0 record behind her MVP-level play. Stewart and Mist were on a mission to change that.

Yet, in the most exciting game of the Unrivaled season, the Owls again earned the 85-81 victory, soaring back in the fourth quarter to advance to 8-0.

It also was the only game on Saturday, as the matchup between Laces and Vinyl, scheduled to be the first game of the doubleheader, was cancelled. According to Unrivaled, “To prioritize player health and safety, Unrivaled will be canceling tonight’s matchup between Laces BC and Vinyl BC.”

Lunar Owls are undaunted and undefeated

This one had the makings of another Lunar Owls domination, as the club enjoyed as much as a 10-point lead in the first quarter.

However, the clearly-motivated Mist charged back at the end of the first and throughout second, overcoming their early shooting woes. Jewell Loyd and Rickea Jackson were dropping in jumpers, while Courtney Vandersloot also provided Mist with a boost from the bench. On the other side, Collier was excellent, but Allisha Gray’s shot was eluding her, while Owls were committing more fouls and turnovers than usual.

A buzzer-beating triple to end the first half from Loyd gave Mist a three-point lead at the break, 48-45.

In the third, the trends continued, as Mist were scoring with ease while Lunar Owls were making uncharacteristic mistakes. At moments, there were reminders—mainly missed bunnies around the basket—that both teams were playing on a back-to-back. With just over two minutes remaining in third, it appeared that exhaustion would become too much for Owls to overcome, as they were down by 10 points. Mist was finding success with the trio of Stewart, Vandersloot and Aaliyah Edwards, as the blend of Stewart’s scoring, Vandersloot’s passing and Edwards’ athleticism helped the club unlock some of the cohesion it has lacked in previous games.

Mist was up 73-65 at the end of the third, setting the target score at 84 and seemingly situating them to hand Lunar Owls their first loss. Yet, Owls not only were undaunted by having to score 19 points before Mist scored 11, but the challenge of having to do so appeared to inspire them to another level. This team did not want to lose—and they wouldn’t.

Lunar Owls’ starting group of Collier, Gray and Skylar Diggins-Smith played with a smoldering intensity that Mist did not match. They were defending with aggression, forcing deflections, winning loose balls, corralling rebounds and intimidating Mist into misses on what should have been easy makes around the basket.

A 2-point free throw and 3-pointer by Gray to open the fourth quickly cut Mist’s advantage to three points, 73-70. Gray would then hit another triple to knot the score at 75-75, before Diggins-Smith scored a streaking layup off a Collier rebound, giving Owls a 77-75 lead.

From there, Mist did not fold, but Lunar Owls clung tightly to their slight advantage.

With Owls leading 83-81 and having possession, the were in position for a game-winner. Gray powered her way to the hoop, finishing the tough drive for the apparent winner. But, the celebratory light show flashed prematurely, as Collier was called for an offensive foul for blocking Loyd’s path. It was also Collier’s sixth foul, eliminating her from the game.

Mist had second chance. But Shakira Austin, who replaced Collier in the lineup, snuffed out Mist’s hopes. After her long-armed contest caused Loyd to airball a 3-pointer that would have won it for Mist, Austin then converted the game-winning layup for Lunar Owls, completing the furious comeback and preserving their perfect record.

Collier established a new Unrivaled single-game scoring record in the contest, finishing with 38 points. She also had 15 rebounds. Gray added 18 points, including four 3-pointers, as well as seven boards and six assists. Diggins-Smith contributed 13 points, five assists and four steals. Stewart again led the way for Mist, with a 23-point and 17-rebound double-double. Jackson and Vandersloot both had 15 points.

Both teams now are off until Friday, Feb. 21, as the league’s 3×3 action will be on hiatus for the 1-on-1 Tournament, which begins on Monday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. ET. For Mist, that’s a long time to think about what has to be described as a collapse. Lunar Owls, in contrast, not only have plenty of time to revel in their hard-earned undefeated record, but also prepare to continue their perfection when the 3×3 schedule resumes.