Rose BC and Phantom BC clashed in the first game of Friday's two-game slate at Wayfair Arena in Miami, Florida. Phantom won 75-63 to grab its first Unrivaled win.
Sabrina Ionescu returned to Unrivaled and scored a game-high 32 points on seven made 3-pointers. She went 11-for-18 from the field (7-for-10 from the arc). The one-time WNBA champion flirted with a triple-double as well. She had nine rebounds and eight assists. Ionescu knocked down seven of the 12 made 3-pointers of Phantom. The team shot 56.9% (29-for-51), including 12-for-19 from the arc (63.2%).
Satou Sabally added 13 points and six rebounds for Phantom, which improved to 2-3. Brittney Griner finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
On the other end, Azura Stevens came off the bench to lead Rose with 19 points and five rebounds. Chelsea Gray finished with 16 points and six assists. Angel Reese had 13 points and seven rebounds for Rose, which dropped to 1-4 this season.
Both teams were on a similar path early in the inaugural season of the 3-on-3 women's basketball league. Heading into Friday's game, both were 1-3. Their first wins in Unrivaled both came against the Mist BC, who hasn't won a single game this season. Phantom defeated Mist 74-69 on Jan. 24, while Rose got its win against Mist 71-66 the day after.
Rose started its usual three: Reese, Gray and Kahleah Cooper. Rose has been relatively healthy this season but was without Brittney Sykes on Friday.
For Phantom, the returning Ionescu started with Sabally and Natasha Cloud. Ionescu was back in the lineup after missing a couple of games. Marina Mabrey was still listed as out.
Rose BC vs. Phantom BC player stats and box score
Rose BC player stats and box score
Phantom BC player stats and box score
Rose BC vs. Phantom BC game summary
At the end of a thrilling back-and-forth opening period, Rose BC led Phantom BC 19-18. Chelsea Gray had seven points on 3-for-10 shooting, while Azura Stevens added six points off the Rose bench. For Phantom, Brittney Griner had six points and two rebounds off the Phantom bench.
The returning Sabrina Ionescu scored 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting (3-for-4 on 3-pointers) in the second quarter to lead Phantom to a 42-36 halftime lead. She also had five rebounds and four assists. Satou Sabally added 10 points. Phantom went 56.7% from the field (17-for-30), including 60% from the arc (6-for-10). They scored a season-high 42 points at the half.
Stevens and Chelsea Gray each had 12 points at the half for Rose. Angel Reese had eight points and two rebounds.
At the end of the third period, Ionescu hit her fifth 3-pointer of the night with seconds remaining to extend the Phantom lead to eight, 62-54, and establish the winning score of 73.
Rose cut the lead to three in the untimed final quarter, 64-61. Phantom then went on an 11-2 run to close the game, including huge back-to-back 3-pointers from Ionescu. Sabally hit the game-winning 3, bringing the final tally to 75-63.