Unrivaled: Lunar Owls, Skylar Diggins-Smith make statement

Saturday’s Unrivaled action was not lacking for drama, as Lunar Owls saw their 88-60 blowout win over Laces as a stamp of their superiority while a game-winner from birthday girl Natasha Cloud pushed Phantom past Vinyl, 79-72.

Here’s what happened in Miami on Saturday:

SDS, Owls make statement

The biggest takeaways from this one came from Skylar Diggins-Smith’s postgame interview, when she proclaimed of the league-leading Lunar Owls:

Our club has been carrying this league since day one. We’ve been taking it serious. We’ve made everybody raise their level of play. And tonight we showed while we’re still number one.

Diggins-Smith then topped off her declaration with, “It’s still hooty hoooo!,” a loud shot fired at Rose, who mocked Owls’ signature celebration after handing the club their first loss on Friday night.

This is the kind of competitive spice fans of women’s hoops should want to see. Considering Diggins-Smith and Rose’s chief provocateur, Angel Reese, shared a friendly, fawning conversation on Reese’s podcast just a month ago, it is safe to assume that the antagonism is limited to hardwood, with players accepting, understanding and embracing the competitive juices that can flow in the intensified Unrivaled format.

But before all that could transpire, it looked like Laces might give Lunar Owls another tough test. Natisha Hiedeman, getting her first Unrivaled start, was shot out of a canon in the first quarter, scoring 11 points in the period that were highlighted by a saucy finish around her Minnesota Lynx teammate, Napheesa Collier.

After that, the highlights would be few and far between for a Laces club with only two of its original players, Kayla McBride and Stef Dolson. Along with Hiedeman, relief players Kiki Jefferson and Ariel Atkins filled out the active roster for the injury-ravaged Laces. The resulting lack of cohesion had the Laces down by 15 at the half.

A hot shooting night from Lunar Owls further contributed to this one becoming a lopsided affair. On Friday night, Owls had their worst shooting game of the season; on Saturday, their shots fell in more characteristic fashion. Allisha Gray led the way with 26 points, while Diggins-Smith nearly matched her with 25 of her own. Their prolific production allowed for a quieter scoring night from Collier, who finished with 16 points and nine boards. Courtney Williams, who hit her first winning shot of the season, flirted with a triple-double, tallying 11 points, 10 boards and seven assists. The 88-60 win also clinched a playoff spot for Lunar Owls.

Despite the loss, Laces, who were led by 18 points from McBride, remain in second place in the standings.

Cloud wins it for Phantom

Saturday’s second game set up as a battle for the fourth and final playoff spot, with Vinyl entering the contest with the advantage. An appropriately hard-fought game emerged, as every time Phantom seemed poised to surge ahead, Vinyl responded to remain in contact.

While Phantom was up 66-57 entering the fourth, establishing the target score at 77, Vinyl scored the untimed period’s first eight points, making it a one-point game, 66-65. That threat sparked Phantom, as they responded with a 7-0 run of their own, reclaiming a more comfortable 73-65 edge. Then Rhyne Howard almost instantly scored at the basket for Vinyl before draining a triple, cutting Phantom’s lead to three points until Sabrina Ionescu swiftly sank a 3, which put Phantom a point away from the winning score of 77. After another Howard bucket, it was 76-72 Phantom, meaning Vinyl needed to muster a pair of stops and scores.

On the next possession, Ionescu went for the winner and missed, but grabbed her own board. She then found a wide-open Natasha Cloud in corner, who swished the game-winning 3 on her 33rd birthday and gave Phantom the 79-72 win.

Phantom would not have been in position for the victory if not for Brittney Griner, who was dominant inside as she scored 22 points, which matched Ionescu’s 22 for the team-high. Vinyl, again without Arike Ogunbowale, was led by Rhyne Howard’s 28 points, which were powered by seven 3-pointers. Jordin Canada also had another strong game for Vinyl, with the 5-foot-6 point guard grabbing a game-high 10 boards to go along with her 11 points and eight assists.

What’s next?

Monday night’s schedule begins at 7 p.m. ET with what profiles as an exciting matchup between Rose, going for a fifth-straight win, and Phantom, facing an opportunity to grab control of fourth place.

The second game is a must-win for Mist if they want any chance of escaping the Unrivaled cellar and making a playoff push in the season’s final two weeks. A matchup against what likely will be a still-depleted Laces team is the prime opportunity for Mist to begin to find some positive momentum.