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The second game night of the second week of Unrivaled delivered a down-to-the-wire win, with Chelsea Gray coming up in the clutch for Rose, and a blowout, as Napheesa Collier dropped an Unrivaled-high 37 points for Lunar Owls.
Gray and Rose earned their first win over Mist, 71-66, while Collier and Lunar Owls lapped Phantom, 82-58. Both victors will be back in action on Monday, when Lunar Owls play Vinyl (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT) and Rose faces Laces (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
Point Gawd went Clutch Gawd for Rose
Rose held a 60-58 advantage over Mist entering the fourth quarter, setting the winning score at 71 points for the untimed final frame. Mist scored the period’s first points, knotting the score and setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle.
Chelsea Gray then decided she would be the star of this show. She scored nine of Rose’s 11 points in the period, methodically getting to her spots and effortlessly draining difficult midrange jumpers, including the game winner. Mist, now 0-4, must have felt cursed by the Point Gawd’s clutch-time magic.
Overall, Rose’s first win revealed their winning formula, with the team taking advantage of its players’ dynamic, versatile skillsets. Kahleah Copper deployed her jets to streak to basket for scores while also draining a pair of 3s, finishing with 18 points. Azurá Stevens displayed her effectiveness both inside and outside, scoring in the paint while also hitting two triples; she had 16 points and seven boards. Lexie Hull finally was unleashed, with her high-activity on the offensive end, where she often used the threat of her 3-point shot to cut to the basket for open layups, resulting in a team-high 19 points. Then, Gray came in as the closer.
On the other side, Breanna Stewart posted another productive stat line, with 20 points and nine boards, but her club remains winless, bit again by some frigid shooting. Mist was just 2-for-11 from downtown. Jewell Loyd, who missed Friday night’s game, returned to the lineup and made Mist’s lone two triples, but, otherwise, her shot did not fall, as she made just one shot inside the arc as she finished with 13 points and seven assists.
Unstoppable Owls
Phantom started this game with some spirit, sticking with Lunar Owls through the majority of the first quarter. However, Owls closed the first on a 10-0 run, flipping the score from 13-11 to 23-11. From there, the rout was on.
Lunar Owls shot 43.5 percent on their 23 3-pointers and 90 percent on free throws. Phantom, in contrast, shot 20 percent from the behind the arc and 50 percent from the line. Owls also totaled more rebounds and more assists, along with fewer turnovers. It was a complete victory, propelled by the complete game of Napheesa Collier, who finished with 37 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block. Collier made five 3s, as did Allisha Gray, who had 21 points, five assists and five boards. Skylar Diggins-Smith, the third member of Lunar Owls’ excellent starting group, added 16 points.
Satou Sabally led Phantom with 19 points, nine boards and four assists. But in contrast to Friday night, she was much less efficient. Natisha Hiedeman tried to provide a spark for Phantom, scoring 18 points from off the bench.
