Unrivaled’s first non-Floridian foray is underway. Find out who prevails in the Delco doubleheader as the evening persists.
PHILADELPHIA—The Quaker City is no doubt shaking on Friday night if the noise coming out of Xfinity Mobile Arena is any indication. Philly is officially Unrivaled!
Photo Credit: Unrivaled
Unrivaled, the domestic three-on-three women’s basketball league co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, is temporarily taking its talents out of South Beach to put on a show in Philadelphia, an exhibit headlined by the participation of native daughters Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper.
Cloud’s crew on Phantom BC is facing off against the youth in revolt on Breeze BC, while the latter portion of this Delco doubleheader features Copper in bloom with defending champion Rose BC, which takes on Lunar Owls BC.
Keep track of Friday’s performers and postings below …
Phantom 71, Breeze 68
The first half of the doubleheader was a Philly special that proved hard to top.
Kelsey Plum and Aliyah Boston united for 40 points as Phantom BC made native daughter Natasha Cloud proud in a 71-68 victory over Breeze BC. Plum put in the game-winner on a third chance during the Phantom’s final possession, driving the record crowd to hysterics at the end of a game where neither team led by more than nine.
Though Cloud, hailing from nearby Broomal, was held scoreless from the field (getting her only two points at the foul line), she came up during the final stages, which saw Breeze (4-4) force two ties after cutting the largest deficit of the game (9) at the top of the period.
Cloud immediately forced a shot clock violation and then secured a crucial offensive rebounds that set up Plum’s heroics. It was enough to counter both a strong scoring and facilitation effort from Bueckers (leading all participants with 23 points) and a double-double from Dominique Malonga (12 rebounds, 10 points). Kiki Iriafen had 14 second half points for Phantom (5-3) after picking up three early fouls during her debut minutes.
Phantom, which has won three of four, will face the Lunar Owls on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET, TruTV) while Breeze seeks redemption against Rose (8:45 p.m. ET, TruTV).
Team Leaders
Breeze
Phantom
Plum, 22
Points
Bueckers, 23
2 tied, 8
Rebounds
Malonga, 11
2 tied, 4
Assists
Bueckers, 6
Game-Winning Basket: Kelsey Plum
Lunar Owls 85, Rose 75
A record crowd played witness to record scoring from Lunar Owls.
Mabrey set a new Unrivaled record with 47 points, including the two tallies that clinched the win, as she guided her shorthanded parliament to an 85-75 victory in the grand finale. The Lunar Owls (2-6) played Friday’s showcase without Aaliyah Edwards or franchise face Napheesa Collier.
Mabrey made sure that didn’t matter, getting her historic evening off to an early start by scoring 27 points in the first eight minutes alone. It was a new league mark for points scored in a period and set the tone for a game where the Lunar Owls held a nearly-eternal advantage.
Mabrey was held to but three points in the second quarter but scored 17 more over the final frames to secure history. Interior penetration made up most of Mabrey’s scoring in the second half but she did set a single game record for triples, passing Rhyne Howard by one with 10. Mabrey’s final tally gave her 18 for the night, passing a record once set by the aforementioned Collier.
The humble Mabrey was more than happy to pass on credit in the aftermath, spotlight Temi Fagbenle’s set-ups. Fagbenle also enjoyed a packed box score with 15 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out, while Skylar Diggins paired 16 points with eight assists. Shakira Austin, who briefly tugged on Mabrey’s cape with a tense confrontation in the third, had 31 points on 11-of-15 from the field. Spoiled in defeat was a Philadelphia homecoming for Kahleah Copper, who was 4-of-6 from deep en route to 19 points.
The Lunar Owls will go for their first instance of consecutive victories on Sunday evening against Phantom (7:30 p.m. ET, TruTV) while Rose redemption potentially awaits against Breeze afterwards (8:45 p.m. ET, TruTV).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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