Without question, the Breeze have shown they can hang in their inaugural Unrivaled Basketball season. The playoffs seem like a reality as head coach Noelle Quinn has the “Youngins” playing well so far. Last Friday, the team headed to Philly to face the Phantom in front of a packed crowd at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The first quarter was low-scoring as it was tied 14 points apiece. Indiana Fever forward led the Phantom in scoring with five points in the quarter. As for the Breeze, Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga and Los Angeles Sparks teammates Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson each scored four points. Quarter number two saw each team score under 20 points as the Phantom took a 33-31 lead into the half over the Breeze.
In the third quarter, the scoring picked up as the Phantom and Breeze combined for 49 points. Here, Brink led the Youngins in scoring with seven in the quarter. Sparks guard Kelsey Plum and Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen each put up eight points for the Phantom. Following the quarter, the Phantom held a lead of 60-53. This means the winning score would be 71 points or more.
Despite scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter (eight by Bueckers), the Breeze came up short. The Phantom reached exactly 11 points for the 71-68 win as Plum hit game-winning layup.
Breeze – Phantom Unrivaled Basketball Recap
Photo Credit: Breeze BC & Phantom BC (IG)
Bueckers led the Breeze and the game in scoring with 23 points on nine-of 13 shooting from the field. The team captain added six assists in the close defeat. Next, Jackson scored 20 points, including the only two three-pointers for the team while grabbing five rebounds. Brink put up 13 points as she had nine boards.
Once again, Malonga got a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds as guard Kate Martin contributed two points and two boards in the game. Fever guard Aari McDonald did not play in the game for the Breeze.
Looking at the Phantom, Plum led the squad with 22 points along with four assists and rebounds. Boston put up 18 points in 20.2 minutes of action as she had eight boards and four assists. Also, Tiffany Hayes scored 15 points with six rebounds. Iriafen added 14 points and eight boards in the victory as guard Natasha Cloud has two points.
Additionally, guard Dana Evans and Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally did not play for the Phantom.
Breeze Vs. Rose: Part II
Photo Credit: Breeze BC & Rose BC (IG)
On Sunday night, the action shifted back to Miami as the Youngins faced the Rose again. The first meeting on Jan. 11 was tight as the Rose got the 73-69 win. However, the Breeze took the early lead in the first quarter. Bueckers dominated the quarter with 11 points as the Rose scored 12 points in the quarter as a team. The Breeze took an 18-12 lead into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, the Youngins expanded their lead with 23 points in the quarter, making the score 41-31 at the half. Jackson led the Breeze with eight points in the quarter as Bueckers scored seven points. The third quarter was all Breeze, scoring 28 points in the quarter, as the lead grew to a 70-50 lead. Now, the winning score was 81 points or more.
In the end, the Breeze needed just 3:12 in the fourth to win it with a Malonga layup. The 81-56 victory positions the Youngins 1.5 games out of first place in the Unrivaled Basketball standings with a 5-4 record.
Breeze Vs. Rose: Part II Recap
Bueckers went off again as the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year scored 32 points with 11 dimes. Jackson added 20 points with nine rebounds in the decisive win. What’s more, Malonga keeps up her stellar performance in Unrivaled with another double-double, scoring 18 points with 11 boards.
Martin scored seven points and four rebounds as Haley Jones added four points. It’s important to note that Brink did not play and neither did McDonald for the second consecutive game.
As for the Rose, Mystics forward Shakira Austin led the team in scoring with 21 points and seven boards in the loss. Kahleah Copper of the Mercury scored 15 points with six boards in 18.1 minutes of action. In addition, Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray put up 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Finally, Mystics guard Sug Sutton scored nine points in the matchup.
Up next for the Breeze is the Hive on Friday night while the Rose faces off against the Vinyl on Saturday night.
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