Friday’s Unrivaled matchups lived up to the hype with two great games.
First, we saw Phantom squeak out a victory against Rose 75-63, and then we witnessed two undefeated teams—Lunar Owls and Laces—play down to the final possession. In that game, the Lunar Owls won 75-73 thanks to a Skylar Diggins-Smith game-winning free throw.
Phantom back in the win column
Basketball is a team game, but in 3×3, each individual matters even more. For Phantom, getting Sabrina Ionescu back certainly changed things. She shot 70 percent from 3-point range and scored 32 points in the win. Ionescu also grabbed a game-high tying nine rebounds.
With Ionescu, Brittney Griner and Satou Sabally on the same team, this 2-3 Phantom squad suddenly appears to be a tough team to beat.
Rose lost this one in the second half when Ionescu got hot, allowing Phantom to begin to pull away. In the fourth, they never seriously threatened to come back, and Sabally ended the game with a made 3-pointer.
Rose had a balanced attack with three players taking 15 or more shots, but Azurá Stevens played best, scoring 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting, along with grabbing six rebounds. Still, she missed all five 3-pointers, and the team struggled overall in that department, going 3-for-16 as a team from deep.
