In Medley, Florida, the No. 4 seed team Vinyl achieved a significant upset in the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league playoffs by defeating the top-seeded Lunar Owls with a final score of 73-70. Rhyne Howard played a pivotal role in the victory by scoring 23 points, while Jordin Canada contributed 21 points. The Lunar Owls featured Napheesa Collier from the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, who had been recognized as Unrivaled’s Most Valuable Player earlier in the day.
Dearica Hamby also made a notable impact for the Vinyl, scoring 16 points and securing 15 rebounds. It was Hamby’s decisive layup over Collier that clinched the comeback win in the semifinals. In another semifinal match, Chelsea Gray from the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces spearheaded the second-seeded Rose to a 63-57 victory over the No. 3 Laces. The upcoming championship game on Monday will feature Vinyl and Rose, with each player on the victorious team earning a reward of $50,000.
Hamby, representing the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, reflected on the underdog status of her team. “We’ve kind of been counted out the entire season,” she stated. “But that didn’t show in our locker room. We never stopped believing in ourselves.” This self-belief was evident in Chelsea Gray’s dominant performance for Rose. Despite missing their top rebounder and Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year, Angel Reese, due to a hand injury, Gray delivered a commanding 39-point game. Her spectacular performance in this season’s Unrivaled games, including a decisive 3-pointer, demonstrates her pivotal role in her team’s success.
Unrivaled games operate with a unique format consisting of three seven-minute quarters followed by an un-timed fourth. The winning team is determined by achieving a “winning score,” which is calculated by adding 11 points to the leading team’s score after three quarters. Napheesa Collier, who had led Unrivaled with an average of 25.7 points per game, was a standout throughout the season. Typically known for her defensive prowess as the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Collier averaged 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Despite the Lunar Owls being favored to win after an impressive 13-1 regular season, their journey ended with a tough semifinal loss.
Reflecting on the season, Collier remarked, “It’s been a great season. We said from the very beginning that we had a very special group. It’s a tough ending for us.” Over the past eight weeks, Unrivaled hosted a regular season involving six teams featuring some of the WNBA’s top players, including Angel Reese, Brittney Griner from the Atlanta Dream, and Sabrina Ionescu from the New York Liberty. The top four teams earned spots in Sunday’s playoffs, showcasing remarkable talents and intense competition.
