MEDLEY, Fla. – The final four of Unrivaled women’s basketball is set as the regular season ended Monday night with blowout wins by the top two seeds in the league.
Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier scored 29 points to help the No. 1 seed Lunar Owls beat fellow co-founder Breanna Stewart and the Mist 92-58 in the first of two games.
Chelsea Gray caught fire finishing with 33 points to help the No. 2 seed Rose beat the Vinyl 74-46 in the second game. Angel Reese left the game in the third quarter with a “left upper extremity injury” and did not return.
“No update on Angel. Hopefully, we’ll have one soon. We’re sending her our best wishes,” Rose coach Nola Henry said after the game.
The Laces secured the No. 3 seed in the postseason, while the Vinyl edged out the Mist for the fourth and final playoff spot on a tiebreaker.
The Vinyl and Mist finished with 5-9 records, but the Vinyl’s 4-7 record against playoff teams will get them into the postseason, edging the Mist’s 3-8 record in the category.
The Vinyl seemingly clinched their playoff spot before they played, keeping tabs of the Lunar Owls-Mist game before they got on the court.
“We understand sometimes the ball doesn’t fall, but we have technically one more game, and then possibly another. So, we have to focus on that,” Vinyl center Aliyah Boston said.
The prize money – $50,000 for each player on the championship winning team – is certainly a major focus, along with winning the league’s first title when the postseason begins.
“It’s money on the line,” Lunar Owls guard Courtney Williams said. “Anytime money is on the line, I think everybody has to up the ante.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Unrivaled’s postseason games next week:
When is the Unrivaled postseason?
The No. 3 Laces will face No. 2 Rose in the first semifinal on March 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The No. 1 Lunar Owls will face the No. 4 Vinyl in the second semifinal on the same day, slated for an 8:30 p.m. start.
When is the Unrivaled championship game?
The Unrivaled final will be on March 17.
How to watch Unrivaled postseason games?
The Unrivaled postseason will be available on TNT and TruTV on cable television, and available to live stream on Max.
Who’s in? Here’s the four Unrivaled playoff teams
No. 1 Lunar Owls (13-1)
The Lunar Owls were the best team in Unrivaled’s regular season, outscoring opponents by 170 points en route to the No. 1 seed in the postseason. Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Allisha Gray have been the best starting lineup in the league, while Courtney Williams and Shakira Austin have made crucial contributions off the bench. The Lunar Owls’ mission all along: To win Unrivaled’s first title.
No. 2 Rose (8-6)
Chelsea Gray and Angel Reese helped the Rose overcome a 1-4 start and get back into Unrivaled contention with a four-game winning streak – which included a win over the Lunar Owls on Feb. 21. While the Rose lost the rubber match to the Lunar Owls last Friday, they secured the No. 2 seed in the playoff mix with a blowout win over the Vinyl Monday night.
No. 3 Laces (7-7)
Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas and Tiffany Hayes helped the Laces begin Unrivaled with a 4-0 start, but they’ve had to navigate the injury bug this season. Thomas has returned from a knee injury, while Jackie Young joined the team midseason after a leg injury. Kate Martin has not returned after a leg injury of her own since midseason. Still, the trio of McBride, Thomas and Hayes could be well-positioned to contend with the Lunar Owls.
No. 4 Vinyl (5-9)
Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard have been the Vinyl’s best players, while Arike Ogunbowale has missed several games with a right leg injury. Rae Burrell, Jordi Canada and Aliyah Boston have also made contributions
The Vinyl won their last two games on Feb. 21 and Feb. 28, giving them just enough to reach the postseason field.
Who’s out? Here are the two teams eliminated from postseason
No. 5 Mist (5-9)
The Mist – led by league co-founder Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd, Rickea Jackson, Courtney Vandersloot, DiJionai Carrington and Aaliyah Edwards – made a late push for a playoff spot with a three-game winning streak at the end of last month but were eliminated after a blowout loss to the Lunar Owls on Monday night.
No. 6 Phantom (4-10)
The Phantom – featuring Sabrina Ionescu, Brittney Griner, Satou Sabally, Marina Mabrey, Natasha Cloud and Katie Lou Samuelson – were eliminated from the postseason last Friday. But they ended their season on a positive note Saturday night with an 80-74 win over the Vinyl.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Unrivaled playoffs: Lunar Owls, Rose, Laces, Vinyl reach postseason
