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Often, what matters regarding a game is the result. Other times, someone plays so sensationally that their individual performance becomes the story. And every so often, a game’s mere existence becomes the spectacle.
On Friday, we witnessed a perfect symphony of all three at Philly is Unrivaled.
Marina Mabrey scored 47 points, setting a new league record, while leading the Lunar Owls to an 85-75 victory over Rose. Before that, Phantom beat Breeze in a 71-68 thriller, and Unrivaled played both of these games, for the first time ever, outside of their Sephora Arena in Miami.
The league took its show on the road, heading to Philadelphia to play in Xfinity Mobile Arena. The result? 21,490 people came to watch these women play, setting a new attendance record for the stadium. This accomplishment is nothing short of spectacular, given that it’s home to the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers.
The crowd included basketball royalty such as South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and 76ers guard Kyle Lowry. Celebrities were also easy to find, including comedians Wanda Sykes and Leslie Jones and news anchor Robin Roberts.
Napheesa Collier spoke after the game about the grandiosity of the moment, saying:
It’s just a testament to what we’re building here, how much people believe in it. So, to have the city show out like this, to break a record in all of women’s professional basketball here tonight, and for it to be Unrivaled, I think it’s just amazing. The future’s Unrivaled.
Collier, a co-founder of the league, also mentioned that Unrivaled would make stops in other cities in the future, but didn’t reveal where those destinations would be.
A few Unrivaled athletes have Philadelphia ties, including Rose’s Kahleah Copper and Phantom’s Natasha Cloud. Both spoke about what this moment in the City of Brotherly Love meant to them, and an emotional Cloud was moved to tears as she discussed playing in her hometown as a professional basketball player on the television broadcast.
“This is my city,” Cloud said. ”I love my city so much. I’m looking around and seeing my jersey, seeing signs, like as a mid-major kid… man, I love the city.”
Marina Mabrey was on fire in Philly
The stage may have been Philadelphia, but Mabrey was the show. She was hotter than lava in the first quarter against Rose, scoring 27 points.
Mabrey immediately entered the flow state. Her offensive onslaught featured four consecutive 3-pointers, and Mabrey made them in every way possible. She started with a logo 3 that rattled in, then hit one from the wing, followed it up with a corner 3-pointer and concluded with a stepback jumper.
27 points in a 7-minute quarter is unimaginable! This performance tops anything she’s ever done professionally. In the WNBA, her career high is 36 points, which she had as a member of the Chicago Sky in a June 2023 contest against the Indiana Fever. In that matchup, she played 38 minutes to reach that point total. On Friday night, she scored 47 in just over 21 minutes of play.
Mabrey went 18-for-28 from the field, shot 10-for-15 from the charity stripe and hit the game-winning basket to put the exclamation point on a historic performance.
The Lunar Owls now have win No. 2 as they aim to dig themselves up from the bottom of the standings.
KP wins the thriller for Phantom
Phantom took on young Breeze and came out on top thanks to an elite game from Kelsey Plum.The guard was in complete control, scoring 22 points along with four rebounds and four assists.
While Phantom came away victorious, the game was as close as can be. However, Breeze was never able to gain the lead in the fourth quarter as Aliyah Boston and Plum responded to every run they had. Plum clinched the result on a finger roll layup, making her Player of the Game status a no-brainer.
Boston scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win, and Tiffany Hayes and Kiki Iriafen both scored in double figures. For Breeze, Paige Buckers scored 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting. Dominque Malonga added another double-double to her Unrivaled resume with 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Rickea Jackson scored 20 in the loss.
Unrivaled made sports history in Philadelphia, but the action returns to Florida on Saturday afternoon as the Hive take on the Mist and the Laces face Vinyl.
