Keep track of the second Unrivaled championship match, as league co-founder Breanna Stewart leads Mist against Kelsey Plum and Phantom.
Unrivaled's second championship match, once again, has lived up to its namesake on paper.
Following a successful semifinal staging in Brooklyn, the domestic three-on-three league is returning to its South Floridian pad to finish things off: Phantom BC (11-3) and Mist BC (10-4), the top two teams from the regular season standings, are set to do battle in South Beach with plenty of intrigue on each side.
Phantom enters as the league leader and is fresh off an 83-75 victory over Vinyl in semifinal play. The "Ghost Gang" fell behind by nine in the third quarter but engaged on a 21-5 run headlined by sterling shooting from Kelsey Plum, Natasha Cloud, and Tiffany Hayes, not to mention the interior work of Kiki Iriafen, who put up a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) for the second consecutive game.
Arike Ogunbowale celebrates her birthday by knocking down the game-winner in a 16-point comeback at a sold-out Barclays Center!
The Mist will take on Phantom in the UNRIVALED Championshippic.twitter.com/mhqHqDf3bV https://t.co/xfcGzOMBvW
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 3, 2026
Plum capped off a 31-point showing with the game-winning 3-pointer that put Phantom a point past the target score. Phantom, having already won without Dana Evans and Satou Sabally for most of this season, will play the championship without MVP candidate Aliyah Boston, who was lost to a lower extremity injury.
Mist fell behind early in its own semifinal bout with Breeze BC, but a Breanna Stewart breakout and an Arike Ogunbowale birthday bash helped them erase a deficit that stood at 16 at the end of the first period. The game ended on a 16-2 run primarily sustained by Ogunbowale and Stewart, with further assistance provided through a clutch three-pointer from Alanna Smith. Stewart, the Unrivaled co-founder, provided the equalizing double before Smith's go-ahead triple before the former secured a physical rebound that went to Ogunbowale, who swiftly provided the game-winner from deep.
Both Phantom and Mist are repping the championship sidelines after both missed the playoffs in last year's inaugural tour. Phantom took both meetings in the regular season, the last being an 83-71 decision on Feb. 7. Plum and Stewart matched scoring outputs with 28 points each while Cloud sank the game-winner.
FINAL: Mist 80, Phantom 74
Mist (80)
POINTS: Breanna Stewart, 32
ASSISTS: Veronica Burton, 5
REOUNDS: Alanna Smith, 6
Phantom (74)
POINTS: Kelsey Plum, 40
ASSISTS: Kelsey Plum, 5
REBOUNDS: Kiki Iriafen/Kelsey Plum, 6
4th Quarter: Mist 80, Phantom 74
—.The call is overturned to a defensive blocking foul. Hayes has fouled out and Stewart will get a chance to win it at the foul line. The shot is good, and Mist secures the second Unrivaled championship behind the game-winning freebie from the founder
—Stewart's attempt at a driving winner is called an offensive foul. Hayes, the victim of the drive, is shaken upon the play. Mist is challenging the call.
—After Stewart and Ogunbowale fall short of the winner, a Plum drive gives her 40 on the night and narrows the gap to four. Another timeout for Mist, who can still win it with another basket. (78-74 Mist)
—Another Plum three keeps Phantom hope alive (78-72 Mist)
—Hayes narrows the gap with a two, but Stewart banks one back. Next Mist basket will win the game (78-69 Mist)
—The two sides exchange misses before Gray puts up a physical double. The Mist can win the game with a three (76-67 Mist)
—Cloud swats a rebound on an Ogunbowale miss to Hayes, allowing the creation of a fastbreak. Plum finishes it off for two, leading to a Mist timeout. They're five points from the win (74-67 Mist)
—Plum finally gets Phantom on the board with a three-pointer (74-65 Mist)
—Following a shot clock violation and another Cloud foul, Stewart gets to the foul line and ups the lead (74-62 Mist)
—After Gray rejects a Plum shot, Ogunbowale gets to the line through a Cloud foul to create a double-figure lead at the foul line (72-62 Mist)
—Ogunbowale finds a streaking Gray on the pick-and-roll, opening scoring in the untimed final frame (70-62 Mist)
3rd Quarter: Mist 68, Phantom 62
0:03—An Ogunbowale drive creates a six-point lead the target score: first to 79 wins when play resumes. (68-62 Mist)
0:10—An encounter with Gray gives Hayes her fifth foul. Officials will review for a flagrant foul. It will remain a common ball, with Mist inbounding. Hayes sits down for Cloud
0:22—A moving screen from Iriafen interrupts a Plum drive and sends the ball back the other way. Plum steps out.
0:48—Iriafen re-enters after another Ogunbowale foul. She gets a rebound on a missed Plum free throw but is caught traveling.
0:56—After Stewart ups the lead back, Plum hits 30 with a turnaround double (66-62 Mist)
1:20—Hayes keeps her perfect free throw shooting season alive with another foul on Smith (64-60 Mist)
1:29—Ogunbowale sinks a clutch three to double the lead (64-58 Mist)
1:38—Plum is charged with her third foul, non-shooting
1:49—Ogunbowale's foul puts Plum at the line. She hits the free throw (61-58 Mist)
2:07—Smith takes revenge with scoring drives on back-to-back possessions, which sandwich two from Hayes (61-56 Mist)
2:48—After forcing a jumpball through a tie-up with Smith (Phantom took possession through arrow), Cloud sinks a three to narrow the gap to one possession (57-54 Mist)
3:29—Hayes is charged with her fourth foul, getting Gray while the latter was rebounding her own miss. Phantom will challenge the call during the timeout. The call stands and Gray gets a successful free throw. Hayes remains in the game, Gray comes out for Smith while Stewart stays with Ogunbowale. (57-51 Mist)
3:49—Plum gets back on the scoresheets and offers Hayes relief, lowering the gap to four (55-51 Mist)
4:15—Hayes gets rejected by Stewart, but sticks with it to keep the mini-Phantom run alive (55-49 Mist)
4:35—Hayes gets to the line on Gray's second foul and hits a two-point free throw to temporarily stem the bleeding (55-47 Mist)
4:46—A Cloud turnover leads to a Stewart breakout, one that creates the first double-figure lead of the night (55-45 Mist)
4:59—Off the feed from Burton after Stewart screens Plum, Stewart continues her barrage with a driving double. Phantom calls timeout (53-45 Mist)
5:35—After Iriafen is charged for traveling, Stewart gets a foul out of her to force an and-one. The free throw is good. Iriafen, now with three fouls, sits for Cloud. (51-45 Mist)
6:02—Plum resumes her scoring with a two-point free throw after a Gray foul (48-45 Mist)
6:18—Stewart immediately responds on the other end, hitting a three to go up five (48-43 Mist)
6:43—Stewart launches a successful floater over Iriafen, opening second half scoring (45-43 Mist)
Halftime: Phantom 43, Mist 43
Phantom (43)
POINTS: Kelsey Plum, 22
ASSISTS: Kelsey Plum, 4
REBOUNDS: Kiki Iriafen, 5
Mist (43)
POINTS: Arike Ogunbowale/Breanna Stewart, 12
ASSISTS: Veronica Burton, 3
REBOUNDS: Alanna Smith, 5
2nd Quarter: Phantom 43, Mist 43
0:00—After twos from Iriafen and Ogunbowale, cturrent New Yorkers trade three-pointers to close out the half; Stewart sinks one with 16 seconds left before Cloud replies before the clock hits zeroes. (43-43)
1:09—Ogunbowale and Gray respectively tie the game, first with a layup before the latter scores on Plum's second foul (38-38)
1:41—Cloud gets on the scoresheet with a crucial three that creates a two-possession advantage (38-34 Phantom)
2:39—Iriafen responds with an old-fashioned three-pointer, getting two and sinking the and-one after a Smith foul (35-34 Phantom)
2:55—Stewart sinks a floater, giving Mist the lead back (34-32 Mist)
3:12—A Hayes foul under the basket leaves both her and Gray shaken up. Gray removes her goggles and walks to the bench with a towel in her eyes.
3:37—Fouled by Stewart, Plum ties the game at the foul line (32-32)
4:39—It doesn't last long, however, as Burton sinks a three on the other end (32-30 Mist)
4:47—Though initially denied by a Burton block, a Plum drive (followed by another Iriafen putback) gives Phantom the lead back (30-29 Phantom)
5:46—Another spot-on three from Smith gives the Mist the lead back after a brief tie from Iriafen's drive (29-26 Mist)
6:42—Ogunbowale creates the first Mist lead since the opening stanza (26-24 Mist)
1st Quarter: Phantom 24, Mist 24
0:00—James' shot at the buzzer falls short, creating an equal tally at the first break
0:25—A savvy find of Ogunbowale by Smith, who previously hit a jumper, ties the game up (24-24)
1:39—Stewart ends the mini-Plum run with a jumper (24-20 Phantom)
2:01—Another trip down the line, another three for Plum. She has the last five points for Phantom and 18 overall. (24-18 Phantom)
3:12—After Phantom goes up five (doubles from Plum and Iriafen sandwiching another from Gray), Mist puts Arike Ogunbowale and Alanna Smith in the game. Aziaha James also enters for Phantom (19-14 Phantom)
4:14—Stewart sinks a three to cut the deficit in half (15-12 Phantom)
4:25—A quick five from Plum, the first double from Cloud set up by a Stewart turnover, creates a six-point lead (15-9 Phantom)
4:51—Plum hits a three before Hayes commits her second foul. Natasha Cloud steps in for her, the first substitution of the game, before Gray hits another two-pointer free throw (10-9 Phantom)
5:16—Stewart draws Iriafen's first foul for another two-point free throw, though Hayes responds in kind (7-7)
5:40—Veronica Burton sinks a three before Plum responds on the other end to keep the game tied (5-5)
6:23—Iriafen puts back her own miss to tie the game (2-2)
6:43—Allisha Gray is fouled by Tiffany Hayes but nonetheless opens scoring with a two-point free throw (2-0 Mist)
7:00—Breaana Stewart wins the tip from Kiki Iriafen, and the game is underway.
Pregame
WHAT: (1) Phantom BC (11-3) vs. (2) Mist BC (10-4), Unrivaled Championship Game
WHERE: Sephora Arena, Miami, FL
WHEN: Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT/TruTV/HBO Max
WHO'S FAVORED: Mist -2.5 (o/u 141.5)
Starting Lineups
PHANTOM: Tiffany Hayes, Kiki Iriafen, Kelsey Plum
MIST: Veronica Burton, Allisha Gray, Breanna Stewart
Injuries
PHANTOM: Aliyah Boston, OUT (right lower extremity), Dana Evans, OUT (left lower extremity)
MIST: None
Officials: TBA
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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