The Lunar Owls BC defeated the Vinyl BC 78-72 in the first game of Saturday's two-game Unrivaled slate at Wayfair Arena in Miami, Florida.
Skylar Diggins-Smith led Lunar Owls with 27 points, five assists and three rebounds on 11-for-16 shooting. Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier finished with 16 points and nine rebounds on 8-for-14 shooting, while Allisha Gray added 17 points, six assists and three rebounds.
Off the bench, Courtney Williams had 10 points, four rebounds and five assists, while Shakira Austin added eight points and four rebounds.
Dearica Hamby led Vinyl with a double-double performance, finishing with 31 points and 11 rebounds. She also contributed three assists on 13-for-18 shooting (2-for-4 on 3-pointers). Rhyne Howard added 18 points and eight rebounds on 6-for-19 shooting, including 4-for-13 from the 3-point line.
Jordin Canada finished with 11 points, six assists and three rebounds, while Aliyah Boston added eight points and three rebounds off the bench.
With two weeks left in the regular season, Vinyl hopes to strengthen its position. With the loss, they dropped to the No. 4 spot with a 5-7 record. Only the top four teams will advance to the playoffs. On the other hand, Lunar Owls (10-1) is sitting comfortably at the top of the inaugural season of Unrivaled.
Lunar Owls started its usual trio of Collier, Gray and Diggins-Smith. For Vinyl, Hamby, Howard and Canada started the game.
Vinyl BC vs. Lunar Owls BC player stats and box score
Lunar Owls BC player stats and box score
Vinyl BC player stats and box score
Vinyl BC vs. Lunar Owls BC game summary
The Vinyl BC had a 22-20 lead over the Lunar Owls BC. Dearica Hamby had 11 points and six rebounds to lead Vinyl.
Vinyl was able to increase their lead in the second quarter. They held a 48-43 lead heading into halftime. Hamby already had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Rhyne Howard added 13 points, while Jordin Canada had nine points.
For Lunar Owls, Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 15 points in the first half. Allisha Gray and Napheesa Collier added 10 apiece.
Lunar Owls outscored Vinyl by eight points in the third frame to take a 67-64 advantage heading into the final quarter. The winning score was established at 78.
In the untimed fourth period, Lunar Owls was able to maintain its lead. Gray's free throw sealed their 10th win this season.