Vinyl and Breeze Shine in Semifinals at Brooklyn Event
Rhyne Howard and Paige Bueckers Shine as Unrivaled Semifinals Take Shape
MEDLEY, Fla. — Rhyne Howard delivered a standout performance, scoring 30 points to propel Vinyl past Laces and secure a spot in the Unrivaled semifinals on Saturday. In a separate matchup, Paige Bueckers also made headlines, leading Breeze with 29 points to a victory over Rose, the previous year’s champion.
The day’s action began with a thrilling Game 1, where Dearica Hamby of the Sparks made the decisive shot against No. 3 Laces, clinching an 82-69 win. The sixth-seeded Vinyl club celebrated jubilantly after being the final team to secure a playoff berth.
In another key matchup, Dominique Malonga contributed significantly with 17 rebounds and made the game-winning free throw, helping Breeze defeat Rose 69-50. This victory allows Breeze to advance to the next round, set to take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Monday night.
Top-seeded Phantom and the second seed, Mist, have earned automatic berths to the semifinals.
The championship game is scheduled for March 4 at Unrivaled’s home arena in Miami, featuring a substantial prize pool of $600,000 to be divided among the championship-winning team.
In a notable announcement, Phantom forward Aliyah Boston was named Unrivaled’s Defensive Player of the Year. Boston, who is entering her fourth season with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, emerged as one of the league’s defensive standouts, leading with 29 blocks over 14 regular-season games and finishing second in total defensive rebounds with 111.
Boston’s impressive stats include averages of 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game, a significant improvement from her inaugural Unrivaled season.
Joining Boston on the All-Unrivaled second team was Kelsey Plum, who was named first-team All-Unrivaled alongside Bueckers and Chelsea Gray of Rose. Bueckers led her team with an average of 22.1 points and 5.5 assists per game, while Gray, the winner of Unrivaled’s recent one-on-one tournament, became the first player in league history to surpass 600 points, 200 field goals, and 100 assists.
Roneeka Hodges of Phantom was honored as Coach of the Year, having led her team to a league-best 11-3 record in her inaugural season.
Looking ahead, Phantom will face Vinyl in the first of two semifinal games in Brooklyn on Monday, with Mist going up against Breeze in the second matchup.
