A recap of the Unrivaled semifinals and a look ahead to the championship.
The Unrivaled semifinals took place on Monday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Just like the Philadelphia game, there was a sold-out crowd of 18,261 fans!
On Monday night, two semifinal matchups took place. In game one, the No. 6-seed Vinyl went against the No. 1-seed Phantom. Despite a strong effort from Dearica Hamby with 30 points, and Rae Burrell recording a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, the Vinyl came up short. Phantom captain Kelsey Plum put on a show with a game-high 31-point performance. Contributions from Tiffany Hayes with 19 points, Kiki Iriafen with 17 points and Natasha Cloud with 14 points helped balance out the scoring in the win.
Final Score: Phantom 83-Vinyl 75
In game two, the No. 5-seed Breeze went against the No. 2-seed Mist. The Breeze got out to a fast start with a 16-2 scoring run. In the second quarter, the Mist cut down the 16-point Breeze lead to just 6 points by halftime. The Breeze played a strong third quarter, maintaining their lead. The target score for the final frame was 73 points. Just when the Breeze thought they had the game, the Mist swung the momentum, ultimately winning with a heroic performance from Breanna Stewart and Arike Ogunbowale. Stewart finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Ogunbowale had the game winning 3-point shot on her birthday.
Final Score: Mist 73-Breeze 69
With the completion of the two semifinal games, the stage for the finals is set. On Wednesday night, Sephora Arena will host the finals matchup. The game between the Mist and the Phantom will tip off at 9:30 p.m.
Finals Preview
Phantom: The Phantom led by Kelsey Plum were the best team in Unrivaled all season. Head coach Roneeka Hodges was named coach of the year. If the Phantom have another strong performance from Kelsey Plum and the supporting players, they have a good shot at winning the finals. The key for the team is to play a balanced game on offense and defense. Additionally, the Phantom will need to limit turnovers. These key factors can help them win the finals.
Mist: Despite having a shaky start in the semifinals, Breanna Stewart proved why she is the queen of Stew York. The veteran mentality was proven to be a gift helping the Mist advance to the finals. Defensive players such as Alanna Smith and Veronica Burton will be key to winning in the finals. Additionally, a balanced scoring effort from Stewart and Ogunbowale will be needed.
This Unrivaled finals matchups has a lot to offer between the league’s top two regular season teams. Tune in Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET for the Unrivaled pregame show on TNT and streaming on HBO Max.