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Unrivaled’s Friday action kicked off the weekend right.
The night’s opening contest between the top two teams lived up to the hype, with Phantom beating Laces 64-58. And in the other matchup, Angel Reese made her exciting debut for Rose. While they lost 70-68 to Hive thanks to a Kelsey Mitchell layup, Reese played well, scoring 13 points in her 11 minutes of play.
Phantom beat Laces to take over first place
Laces entered this game at the No. 1 spot in the league. With this loss, however, Phantom takes over the top of the standings. While both clubs are 9-3 and split the season series, Phantom has the superior point differential, putting them in first place.
Phantom took charge immediately. Aliyah Boston and Kesley Plum demonstrated why they are the best duo in Unrivaled, scoring repeatedly and jumping out to a 16-7 lead midway through the opening quarter. Laces continued to struggle offensively in the first, and with Kiki Iriafen adding to Phantom’s scoring, they entered the second quarter in front 22-15.
Boston and Plum combined for 12 of Phantom’s next 14 points, extending their lead to nine. At the half, Phantom was in front 38-29.
To start the third, Laces went on a run. Brittney Sykes scored inside the paint, at the charity stripe and after an Alyssa Thomas layup, Laces were right there. Sykes scored another four points in a row, and suddenly the deficit was down to one.
Unfortunately for Laces, Phantom came roaring back. Iriafen scored four straight, and then Natasha Cloud hit a free throw to make it a 53-46 game entering the fourth, setting the winning score at 64.
Laces, however, had one more run in them, scoring nine-unanswered points to even the game at 55.
Phantom proved ready to respond. Iriafen and Tiffany Hayes then made back-to-back layups, and then a Hayes 3 put Phantom at 62 points. With the target score set at 64, Iriafen put the game to bed with a game-sealing layup.
Hayes and Boston led Phantom in scoring with 16 points. Plum ended the night with 13 points on 6-for-13 shooting. For Laces, Jackie Young scored a game-high 23 points.
With this win, Phantom aren’t just the top team in Unrivaled; they are also the hottest team with a five-game winning streak.
Hive spoils Angel Reese’s Rose return
Unrivaled always promised to have the very best women’s basketball players competing. With Reese back, the league gets closer to accomplishing that goal.
Reese entered the game with 3:23 left in the opening quarter and immediately made an impact. She grabbed an offensive rebound and registered a putback right away to give Rose a two-point lead. On the next defensive possession, Reese grabbed another board and scored on the other end.
The rest of the first half was a bit slower for Reese, but she had a good third-quarter shift, scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds. She didn’t play much in the fourth as Rose lost to Hive, but considering it was her first game back, it was a productive one for Reese.
While Reese got the attention, Hive got the glory. Mitchell not only hit the game-winning basket but also scored 27 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Former Rose Azurá Stevens exacted revenge with 20 points and eight rebounds, with Monique Billings had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Kahleah Copper scored 29 for Rose, and Shakira Austin had 17 points on 70 percent shooting.
The win keeps Hive in the hunt for a playoff berth at 4-8 and in seventh place, while Rose drops to 5-7 and remains in fifth place. While three teams have clinched a playoff spot, none have been eliminated, so plenty is left to be decided between now and the end of the season.
