Unrivaled: Stewart, Carrington elevate Mist to 3-game winning streak

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The weekend’s Unrivaled action has set the stage for an intriguing finish to the league’s inaugural regular season.

On Friday night, Vinyl held on against Laces, 64-64, before Mist took care of Phantom, 88-62. Saturday saw Lunar Owls persevere past Vinyl, 78-72, while Mist pricked Rose, 71-62. Week 6 concludes on Monday with Rose-Laces at 7:30 p.m. ET and Phantom-Lunar Owls at 8:30 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast on TNT

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We return Monday March 3 at 7:30PM ET on TNT

Rose BC vs. Laces BC

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) March 2, 2025

Mist finally rises as Rose finally stumbles

Mist, seemingly lost in a fog all season, earned back-to-back wins on Friday and Saturday, giving them a three-game winning streak and elevating them to fourth place in the standings, good for a playoff berth. The club appears to be finding their stride at the perfect time.

On Friday, Mist scored their most dominant win of the season, defeating a fading Phantom 88-62. The club finally benefitted from a strong shooting night, making 45 percent of their 3s and 60 percent of their shots overall. The starting group of Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Rickea Jackson combined for 59 points, while DiJonai Carrington helped propel Mist to the positive result by providing an energy boost off the bench.

On Saturday, Carrington assumed a larger role against Rose and again delivered. Already without Loyd due to injury management, Mist soon lost Jackson, who was ejected fairly early in the contest, collecting two technical fouls for expressing her frustration with the referees. (Another soft ejection by the Sephora Squad.) But Carrington stepped up, contributing 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals, supporting Stewart, who finished with 22 points, seven boards, five assists and a pair of blocks, as Mist snapped Rose’s five-game winning streak. Courtney Vandersloot also was crucial, netting 18 points, including the game-winner.

For the previously-rolling Rose, only Chelsea Gray had it going, scoring 38 points, which matches Napheesa Collier for the most points scored in an Unrivaled game. The club now faces a consequential game against Laces on Monday, as the winner will have a 2-1 edge in the season series, putting them in the driver’s seat for second place in the standings.

Vinyl loses ground while SDS keeps Lunar Owls soaring

After holding on for the skin-of-their-teeth 64-63 win over Laces on Friday, Vinyl again put together a strong performance against Lunar Owls, but, despite Dearica Hamby’s 31 points, Vinyl fell to Owls, 78-72, going 1-1 for the week and dropping to fifth place in the standings, and out of the playoff picture.

For both games, Vinyl remained without Arike Ogunbowale, although the starting group of Hamby, Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada continued to generate positive play for the club. Yet, no starting trio is as strong as Owls’ Napheesa Collier, Allisha Gray and Skylar Diggins-Smith. Diggins-Smith again was the driving force, embracing her status as Unrivaled’s most intense competitor. Even though Lunar Owls have clinched their playoff berth, Diggins-Smith was not going to accept anything less than another win.

SDS had 27 points, including scoring six-straight for Lunar Owls when Vinyl tied the game at 70 in the fourth quarter. Diggins-Smith’s relentlessness put Owls two points away from the target score, which Gray reached by swishing a free throw. Gray had 17 points and six assists overall, while Collier contributed 16 points and nine boards.

Expect another Lunar Owls win on Monday, when the league leaders meet bottom-feeding Phantom. With just three wins and a -116 point differential Phantom is all but officially eliminated from the playoffs; a loss on Monday would make it official.