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Week three of Unrivaled wrapped up with what is becoming a familiar development: a Skylar Diggins-Smith game-winner for Lunar Owls.
Diggins-Smith netted her third winning-score shot of the season as Lunar Owls defeated Vinyl, 85-68, to extend their record to 6-0. In the Monday’s first matchup, Breanna Stewart swished a technical free throw to give Mist a 64-61 win over Phantom.
Phantom comeback foiled by technical foul
The evening’s first game seemed poised for a thrilling end.
After a hot-shooting first half from Mist allowed them to amass as much as a 19-point advantage, Phantom engineered a steady comeback. Having cut the margin to 12 points at the half, Phantom scored six-straight points to close out the third, leaving the game tied, 53-53, entering the final, untimed fourth quarter. Whichever club reached 64 points first would claim the victory.
However, instead of an exciting game-winner, Breanna Stewart gave Mist their second-straight win by making a free—a technical free throw, to be exact. Up 63-61, Mist’s next basket would send them past the winning score. Stewart missed her game-winning attempt, and when she tried to tip it in, she missed again. Stewart recovered the rebound and found Jewell Loyd before Mist head coach Phil Handy called a timeout.
The refs granting Handy the timeout seemed to set off Phantom head coach Adam Harrington, who quickly accumulated two technical fouls and was ejected. So, Stewie went to line, with her conversion of the first technical free throw giving Mist 64 points and the 64-61 victory.
For the game, Stewart collected another double-double, with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Loyd and Rickea Jackson, who both hit an array of pretty jumpers in the first half as Mist compiled their big lead, finished with 13 points and 17 points, respectively.
The tandem of Satou Sabally and Brittney Griner almost captained Phantom to a comeback victory. Sabally had 22 points and seven boards, while Griner scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu struggled to find her range, going 5-for-16 from the field, although she tossed a game-high nine assists.
All Owls, all the time
Vinyl made the first two baskets in this one, but from there on out, it was all Lunar Owls.
The queens of the Unrivaled court hootie hooed their way to another dominant 85-68 win. Owls outclassed Vinyl all over the floor, shooting better from the field and 3, grabbing more rebounds, registering more assists and securing more steals. Napheesa Collier, once again, was unstoppable, working her way to a 36-point and 12-rebound double-double, while adding five assists and four steals. Allisha Gray scored 20 points, with Diggins-Smith contributing 14 points and six assists—and the game-winning triple.
Rhyne Howard led Vinyl with 21 points, while Dearica Hamby had a 14-point and 10-rebound double-double.