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We witnessed two titans in going at each other in the Rose-Breeze Unrivaled matchup on Sunday. Then, the Hive-Vinyl contest certainly gave fans a treat as well with Dearica Hamby scoring a whopping 40 points—the new league record for point scored in a single game.
In the end, Rose won the battle of the unbeatens 73-69, and Vinyl came out on top against the Hive 89-66.
With Rose and Breeze entering this contest at 3-0, it was guaranteed someone would lose their first game. The game lived up to the hype, with both teams playing at an elite level.
During the opening period, Breeze had the edge, leading 22-19. Chelsea Gray got into foul trouble early for Rose, committing three during the first quarter. Breeze took advantage, using their LA Sparks players to go on a run. Cameron Brink was contesting shots at the rim on defense while also converting on a shot from deep, and Rickea Jackson was getting buckets with ease.
While Rose stayed within striking distance, Breeze maintained control for the rest of the half thanks to production from their superstar guard Paige Bueckers and their big Dominique Malonga. At the half, Breeze was in front 41-35.
In the third quarter, Rose turned up the heat. Azurá Stevens and Gray began piling it on against Breeze. Stevens and Gray scored a combined 13 unanswered points to start the second half, flipping the script. Brink gave Breeze their first points of the third with 3:57 left to go in the period, but it didn’t slow down Rose one bit.
Gray scored the following five points for Rose, and they stayed in front. Despite the momentum shifting, Breeze didn’t go away. Their guards kept scoring, and the deficit was just three points entering the fourth quarter.
Scoring was fast and furious in the final period. Bueckers scored the first five points for Breeze to even the score at 63. Unfortunately for Breeze, Rose has Gray on their side. She hit a 3-pointer at the top of the key for her seventh 3-pointer of the night. After a Jackson turnover, Gray attacked again and hit a basket from the high post over Bueckers to put Rose within four points of the winning score.
Lexie Hull then hit a 3 to put Rose at the precipice of the finish line. Shakira Austin officially secured the win with a putback basket.
Gray’s seven 3-pointers powered her to 37 points; she also had five boards and four assists. Austin added 17 points and eight boards, with Stevens contributing 12 points and six boards for undefeated Rose. Jackson and Malonga had matching 20-point performances for Breeze, while Bueckers finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Hive-Vinyl was the polar opposite of the first Sunday game. Both teams entered this contest winless, but with Vinyl coming out on top, they can breath a sigh of relief while Hive’s struggles continue.
Vinyl easily won, but what really stood out was Hamby’s play. She was the best version of herself in this game and set a new-league record with 40 points.
Hamby accomplished this feat by being as efficient as ever. She went 16-for-23 from the field and scored her 40 points with zero 3-point makes.
In a basketball world where perimeter scoring often reigns supreme, Hamby’s issued a rebuttal: If you are bigger, stronger and craftier, the buckets will come regardless.
No one would’ve predicted a 40-point scoring night for Hamby, but she was hot right away. She scored the very first points of this game and scored eight of the first 10 points for Vinyl. Hamby had a stat line at halftime most would envy for a full-game result: 24 points and five rebounds.
Hamby’s 10 rebounds in this won’t get as much praise as her offensive production, but it helped secure the result just as much. Hive struggled grabbing rebounds and Hamby made sure Vinyl won the battle of the boards.
With Vinyl winning by 23 and Hive scoring just 66 points, it’s time to raise an eyebrow regarding this winless team’s possibilities this season. They’ve struggled to score in every game and are a bit undersized.
In the loss, Monique Billings and Sonia Citron scored 17 points each and Kelsey Mitchell had 15 points. Rhyne Howard helped Hamby by scoring 18 points and Rae Burrell ended the night with 15 points.
For the cherry on top of Hamby’s Sunday sunade, she scored the game-clinching basket off a pick-and-roll action while a helpess Mitchell tried to defend her. After the win, Hamby was doused with water on the court in celebration as she embraced the joys of victory and the fruits of her labor.
