The championship game of the 3-on-3 Unrivaled league will feature a thrilling matchup between Phantom BC and Mist on Wednesday night at Miami”s Sephora Arena. Both teams secured their spots in the final following exciting semifinal victories at Brooklyn”s Barclays Center.
Phantom BC, the top seed, overcame Vinyl with a score of 83-75, thanks to a stellar performance from Kelsey Plum, who scored 31 points. Meanwhile, Mist staged a remarkable comeback against Breeze, winning 73-69 after trailing by 16 points at one stage. The games attracted an enthusiastic crowd of 18,231 fans after a venue change was announced just days before the event.
“Everyone was putting on a show, and that”s what you want for the fans,” said Plum, highlighting the competitive spirit displayed during the semifinals.
The night also marked a special occasion for Breanna Stewart, co-founder of the league and a player for the New York Liberty, who returned to her home city. Stewart, who contributed 23 points to Mist“s victory, expressed her excitement about playing in front of a home crowd. “Once I knew was happening, I was like, “My team has to be here. I want to be playing in this game,”” she stated.
Despite being the top seed, Phantom BC faced challenges leading up to the final. Star center Aliyah Boston, recognized as the league”s defensive player of the year, was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs due to a lower extremity injury. Additionally, they have been without forward Satou Sabally for the entire season due to an injury sustained during the WNBA Finals and guard Dana Evans, who has played only once. To bolster their lineup, Aziaha James and Makayla Timpson were added for the playoffs.
Mist faced their own struggles in the semifinals, falling behind 26-10 at the end of the first quarter. However, Stewart”s leadership helped turn the tide, ensuring her team would not lose on their home turf. Both teams had missed the playoffs the previous season, but Phantom BC is now on a nine-game winning streak and holds a 2-0 advantage over Mist in their season series.
Defending champion Rose was eliminated by Breeze in the quarterfinals. Chelsea Gray, their point guard, was honored as the MVP earlier that day and received recognition on the court before the semifinal matchups began.
This successful event in New York follows a record-setting attendance at Philadelphia”s Xfinity Mobile Arena earlier in the season. As the league prepares for the championship in Miami, players will compete for a prize pool of $600,000. Stewart remarked on the significance of hosting the championship game at their home venue, stating, “There”s a to going and winning a championship in the place that you built. So while it is a smaller arena and venue, that”s where the banner is raised, that”s where the Rose has it, and now we”re going to fight for that championship in the place that we”ve been working all season long.”
