Laces BC defeated Phantom BC 73-59 in the first game of Unrivaled's two-game slate on Friday at Wayfair Arena in Miami, Florida.
Kayla McBride led Laces with 25 points, four rebounds and five assists. She shot 9-for-19, including 5-for-13 from the 3-point line. Off the bench, Jackie Young contributed 18 points, five rebounds and four assists on 8-for-15 shooting (2-for-6 on 3-pointers), while Stefanie Dolson added 16 points, three rebounds and three assists (6-for-6 shooting).
Tiffany Hayes had 10 points and five rebounds, while Alyssa Thomas scored four points and grabbed a game-high 12 boards.
For Phantom, Brittney Griner finished with 13 points and six rebounds on 5-for-7 shooting. Natasha Cloud had 13 points and four rebounds off the bench. She shot 5-for-11, including 2-for-6 from beyond the arc. Katie Lou Samuelson added 10 points (5-for-7 shooting). Marina Mabrey and Satou Sabally added nine apiece.
Coming into the game, both teams are at the bottom of the standings. With the win, Laces (6-7) broke a three-way tie with Mist BC and Vinyl BC for the No. 3 spot. They snapped a four-game losing skid. Meanwhile, Phantom dropped to 3-9 and is officially eliminated from playoff contention. They lost their fourth game in a row.
McBride, Thomas and Hayes started the game for Laces, while Phantom's starting trio is Griner, Samuelson and Mabrey.
Phantom BC vs. Laces BC player stats and box score
Laces BC player stats and box score
Phantom BC player stats and box score
Phantom BC vs. Laces BC game summary
At the end of the first quarter, Laces BC had a 13-10 lead over Phantom BC. Kayla McBride scored nine (3-for-6 shooting) of the Laces' 13 points.
Stefanie Dolson scored 12 points in the second period to help Laces extend their lead to 33-29 heading into the break. McBride already had 15 points and five assists. On the other end, Brittney Griner had nine points and five rebounds at the half.
After a back-and-forth third quarter, Laces had a 60-54 lead against Phantom. The final score was established at 71.
In the untimed final frame, Laces held on for their sixth win in the inaugural season of Unrivaled. McBride knocked the game-winner on a corner 3-point shot.