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The Point Gawd Chelsea Gray is known for her dazzling passes and her ability to be almost unguardable when she gets on a hot streak.
On Sunday night, she delivered one of those kinds of performances, matching Marina Mabrey’s Unrivaled record for 3-pointers in a game with 10. The number is gaudy, but it was also necessary. Rose needed every one of those points as they squeaked out a 70-66 victory against Laces.
Gray ended the game with a whopping 38 points, along with seven rebounds and four assists.
From the opening quarter, Gray was explosive. She scored 17 points in the first and knocked down half of her 3s within the first seven minutes. Thanks to her play and her contributions to Rose’s 12-4 run, they were in front of Laces 23-16.
In the second, Laces responded with a 12-5 run to even the game. Gray countered with yet another 3 as both teams exchanged baskets. Brittney Sykes was the engine that kept the Laces running with her 20-point first-half performance. Gray hit a 3-pointer to end the half, which gave Rose a 3-point lead, 42-39.
Laces had some offensive struggles in the third, shooting 6-for-18 from the field. Rose took advantage as Gray continued to pile on, allowing Rose to carry a somewhat comfortable six-point lead into the fourth, 59-53.
Laces and Rose exchanged baskets, but with Rose ahead, they were able to hang on and not only win the game but also punch their ticket into the postseason.
Gray, who also hit the game winner, was far and away the best player for Rose. However, Kahleah Copper had a respectable game, scoring 10 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists.
Laces were led by the trio of Jackie Young, Alyssa Thomas and Sykes. Young had 17 points, Thomas scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Sykes scored 24. While the loss was a disappointing one for Laces, the good news is they are still the No. 2 seed in Unrivaled, and their odds of staying in a top slot, and earning a bye to the semifinals, are still very high and in their control.
Phantom is No. 1—and headed straight to the semis
Before Laces’ loss, Phantom strengthened their claim to the No. 1 seed thanks to their 84-66 win over Hive. The win also earned Phantom a first-round bye, meaning their chase for the championship will begin in the semifinals in Brooklyn.
As usual, Phantom was led by its duo of Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Plum. Boston scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, leading the team in both categories, while Plum had 23 points along with six assists. With these two on the floor, any three-player combo Phantom rolls out will be one of the best in Unrivaled.
Due to the absences of Azurá Stevens and Natisha Hiedeman, developmental player Aziaha James got the call up, and she did all she could to try to help Hive win, leading the club with 22 points. During the game, Hive also lost Sonia Citron due to an injury scare, which put them down to only four players for all of the second half.
Even with this loss, Hive still has hope for the sixth and final playoff spot, but Vinyl is a half game in front of them for that position, and the Lunar Owls are right behind them, just a game back.
It’s looking like the playoff picture won’t get finalized until the very end of the regular season.
