All things considered, the Breeze have shown that they can compete in Unrivaled Basketball with the 2-0 start, However, they faced their biggest test on Sunday night in Miami against the defending champions in the Rose. Both entered the matchup undefeated and looking to remain perfect early on this season.
The first quarter proved to be close as the Breeze took a 22-19 lead. Rickea Jackson led the scoring in the quarter for the Breeze with 10 points. Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink each scored five points. In the second quarter, Dominique Malonga took control for the Breeze as she accounted for 12 of the squad’s 19 points in the quarter. The half saw the Rose down 41-35, but the game was far from over.
Looking at quarter number three, the Rose outscored the Breeze 26 – 17 as Chelsea Gray put up 14 points. It’s important to note that the Las Vegas Aces star had nine of those points coming from three-point range. Also, center Azurá Stevens of the Los Angeles Sparks added seven points while Washington Mystics forward Shakira Austin scored five. Now, the Rose held a 61-58 lead ahead of the fourth quarter, meaning 72 or more points would be the winning score.
Here, the scoring was low as the teams combined for 23 points (Rose – 12, Breeze – 11) in what was a close quarter. Ultimately, the Rose handed the Breeze their first-ever loss in Unrivaled with the 73 – 69 with Austin hitting the game-winning layup.
Rose – Breeze Unrivaled Basketball Recap
Without question, Gray led the charge in scoring for the Rose and the game with 37 points and going seven-of-nine from beyond the arc. Austin had 17 points with eight rebounds as Stevens notched 12 points and six boards. Indiana fever guard Lexie Hull scored seven points in 16.3 minutes of action in the victory.
For the Breeze, Jackson and Malonga each scored 20 points with Bueckers getting another double-double. The Dallas Wings star guard had 15 points with 10 assists in the loss. Brink scored 12 points with six boards as Kate Martin put up two points in 6.6 minutes of play. In the end, turnovers finally caught up with Breeze as they had 12 in this matchup.
Paige was HOOPING 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/2Sc0ZZlbF1
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) January 12, 2026
Up next for the Breeze is the Vinyl on Saturday night, looking to get back in the win column. the Rose will look to stay unbeaten on Friday night versus the Hive.
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