MEDLEY, Fla. — Breanna Stewart loves the fact every Unrivaled game ends with a winning basket. But the feeling is a little different when a game is won at the free-throw line.
Stewart scored the game-winning free throw in the Mist’s 64-61 win — after a technical foul call on Phantom coach Adam Harrington — in the first of two games on Monday night.
“I don’t know if I like ending the game after a free throw,” Stewart, the Unrivaled co-founder with Napheesa Collier, said during a postgame interview on the court after the game.
Mist-Phantom was the first Unrivaled game in three weeks of the new women’s basketball league to be tied, at 53 points, at the end of the third quarter. Unrivaled games end with an untimed fourth quarter, with the winning team needing to score 11 points more than the highest team’s score after the third quarter.
Instead of a thrilling finish, the Mist-Phantom ending was anticlimactic to say the least.
At least Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty teammates with Stewart, tried to bring some levity to the situation as she yelled from half court as Stewart took her free throw to win the game.
“I didn’t see why they gave him one. I know he was fighting for us, and you appreciate a coach that will fight for you on the court,” Phantom star Brittney Griner said of her coach after the game.
“It’s crazy they would call that honestly. Just give me a warning or something. Don’t let a game get decided on an [expletive] free throw.”
Stewart finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds with four assists to help the Mist win their second straight game after a 0-4 start.
Stewart scored six points in the fourth quarter, while Rickea Jackson scored five of her 17 points in the final quarter.
Satou Sabally led the Phantom with 22 points, while Griner had 20 points and eight rebounds.
Harrington did not speak to media after the game.
Napheesa Collier scored 36 points with 12 rebounds, Allisha Gray added 20 points, and Skylar Diggins-Smith hit her fourth game-sealing shot as the Lunar Owls beat the Vinyl 85-68 in the second game.
The Lunar Owls lead Unrivaled with a 6-0 record, while the Laces are in second place at 4-2. The Mist, Phantom, Rose and Vinyl are all 2-4 after the third week of action. Unrivaled returns to action on Friday and Saturday, before the league’s 1-on-1 tournament begins next Monday.
Check out these highlights from Monday night’s Unrivaled games:
Lunar Owls vs. Vinyl highlights
Mist vs. Phantom highlights
Unrivaled final score: Lunar Owls 85, Vinyl 68
Napheesa Collier had 36 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Lunar Owls to a 6-0 start with an 85-68 win over the Vinyl.
“We come into every practice, every game like the score is 0-0, and we just keep stacking those wins,” Collier said. “I feel like I’m using Unrivaled for exactly what it was built to get myself better for myself and my team.”
Unrivaled third quarter score: Lunar Owls 73, Vinyl 57
Target winning score: 84
Napheesa Collier has 30 points and 11 rebounds, Allisha Grey has 17 points, and the Lunar Owls are in control 73-57 after the third quarter.
The Lunar Owls need to reach 84 points to secure the win, and improve to 6-0 on the season.
Rhyne Howard has 17 points for the Vinyl, who are starting at their fourth straight loss unless an epic comeback is in the works in the fourth quarter.
Unrivaled halftime score: Lunar Owls 52, Vinyl 38
Napheesa Collier has 16 points, Allisha Grey added 12 points and Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 11 points in the first half for the Lunar Owls, up 52-38, over the Vinyl in the first half.
Rhyne Howard leads Vinyl with 11 points, while Dearica Hamby has eight rebounds.
Unrivaled first quarter score: Lunar Owls 29, Vinyl 18
Napheesa Collier had 11 points, while all five Lunar Owls scored in the first quarter leading to a 29-18 advantage in the first quarter.
Rhyne Howard led the Vinyl with six points, all from 3-point range.
Unrivaled final score: Mist 64, Phantom 61
Breanna Stewart scored the game-winning free throw, and the Mist beat Phantom 64-61 in the first of two games on Monday night.
Stewart had 18 points, 13 rebounds and four assists as the Mist won their first two games this weekend after a 0-4 start.
“I think we’ve learned a lot the first four, five games. We continued to stay composed. I don’t know if I like ending the game after a free throw,” Stewart said after the game.
The free throw did lead to an anticlimactic ending for the first Unrivaled game to be tied, at 53 points with a target winning score of 64, entering the fourth quarter.
Phantom coach Adam Harrington was ejected for protesting a late call, leading to the Mist win.
Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty teammates with Stewart, yelled from half court as Stewart took her technical free throw to win the game.
Stewart scored six points in the fourth quarter, while Rickea Jackson scored five of her 18 points in the final quarter.
Satou Sabally led the Phantom with 22 points, while Brittney Griner had 20 points and eight rebounds.
Unrivaled score: Mist 53, Phantom 53 after third quarter
Target winning score: 64
Satou Sabally missed a layup as time expired in the third quarter, but she tied the game from a two-point free throw with 7.9 seconds left.
For the first time in Unrivaled history, both teams are tied after three quarters. The first club to reach 64 points will win.
Sabally leads the Phantom with 20 points, while Stewart has 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Mist.
Unrivaled halftime score: Mist 40, Phantom 29
Rickea Jackson has 12 points, Jewell Loyd has 11 points, and the Mist lead 40-29 at halftime over the Phantom in the first game Monday night.
The Mist took a 19-point lead in the second quarter after two straight 3-pointers in transition, one by each player and assisted by Breanna Stewart, who has nine points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Satou Sabally has 11 points, while Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner each have eight points for the Phantom in the first half.
Unrivaled score: Mist 18, Phantom 14 after first quarter
Jewell Loyd got off to a hot start with eight points, including two 3-pointers, for the Mist, up 18-14, over the Phantom in the first quarter.
Satou Sabally leads the Phantom with six points, while Brittney Griner has four points and two early blocks.
How to watch Unrivaled games Monday night on TV
Unrivaled is available on cable television on TNT in the United States, and TSN+ in Canada.
How to live stream Unrivaled games on Monday night
Unrivaled games are also available to live stream on Max, and internationally on YouTube.
Watch: Unrivaled games on Sling TV
Phantom (2-3) vs. Mist (1-4) preview
Ionescu, a WNBA champion with the New York Liberty, led Phantom to its second win of the season Friday with 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists over the Rose on Friday night.
The Mist won its first Unrivaled game of the season Saturday. Stewart, who is a Liberty star and Unrivaled co-founder, led with 23 points and 10 rebounds against the Vinyl.
The Phantom beat the Mist 74-69 in their first meeting Jan. 24, where Griner and Satou Sabally each scored 29 points in the win.
Vinyl (2-3) vs. Lunar Owls (5-0) preview
The Lunar Owls outlasted the Laces on Friday night to remain the only unbeaten team in Unrivaled. Collier has been Unrivaled’s best player, averaging 28 points and 11.8 rebounds
The Vinyl will be hungry for a win, losing their last three games after a 2-0 start during opening weekend. Dearica Hamby had 35 points and 15 rebounds in the Vinyl’s loss to the Mist on Friday.
The Lunar Owls beat the Vinyl 67-57 on Jan. 27, as Collier led with 19 points and 17 rebounds.
Is Angel Reese playing tonight?
No, Reese and the Rose played their Week 3 games Friday and Saturday.
WNBA free agency, offseason takes flight
The Unrivaled games come during a blockbuster week of news several WNBA players will be on the move next season.
Griner agreed to a free agent deal with the Atlanta Dream after 11 seasons with the Phoenix Mercury.
The Laces’ Alyssa Thomas was traded from the Connecticut Sun after 11 seasons to the Mercury.
A three-team trade featuring Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum and several 2025 WNBA draft picks started the frenzy.
What is Unrivaled?
Six teams with 36 of the best women’s basketball players in the world, including Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner, will compete in the 3-on-3, full court games.
Where is Unrivaled playing games?
Games will be played at Wayfair Arena in Medley, Florida, which is in the Miami metropolitan area, about 7 miles from Miami International Airport.
Unrivaled team names and rosters
Laces: Stefanie Dolson, Tiffany Hayes, Natisha Hiedeman (relief player contract), Kate Martin, Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas, Jackie Young.
Lunar Owls: Shakira Austin, Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Courtney Williams, Cameron Brink (IR).
Mist: DiJonai Carrington, Aaliyah Edwards, Rickea Jackson, Jewell Loyd, NaLyssa Smith (relief player contract), Breanna Stewart, Courtney Vandersloot.
Phantom: Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally, Katie Lou Samuelson.
Rose: Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Lexie Hull, Angel Reese, Azura Stevens, Brittney Sykes.
Vinyl: Aliyah Boston, Rae Burrell, Jordin Canada, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, Arike Ogunbowale.
Unrivaled rules to know
Unrivaled games start with three seven-minute quarters, and games end when the target winning score is reached in the fourth quarter. The target winning score is 11 points higher than the highest team’s score after the third quarter, known as the Elam Ending.
Players also take just one free throw after being fouled: A free throw equals two or three points depending on the shooting foul.
How long is the Unrivaled court size? It’s is 72 feet long by 49.2 feet wide. NBA and WNBA courts are 94 feet long and 50 feet wide.
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