Ionescu shines as Phantom down Rose in Unrivaled

The Phantom picked up their second win of the season, defeating the Rose 75-63 in Game 1 of the Unrivaled two-game slate.

The Phantom got Sabrina Ionescu back in this one, a much needed lift on offense. Satou Sabally, fresh off of news dropping that she would be traded to the Phoenix Mercury for the WNBA season, also in the starting lineup.

Rose went with its usual three: Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, and Angel Reese.

The first quarter was a stalemate. Both teams shot over 40% from the floor, both teams saw four players register points. Phantom led the way after seven minutes, 19-18.

Rose leaned heavily on Gray early on, as she shot a shocking 3-10 from the field by herself in the first period. She led the contest at that point with seven points.

The second quarter was the quarter of Ionescu. The Phantom guard hit the first five un-fouled shots she took: three three-pointers, a layup down the lane, and a mid-range jumper. She finished the half with 13 points on 62.5% shooting. She led the Phantom to an efficient 6-of-10 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Phantom led after 14 minutes, 42-36

It is worth noting that multiple calls went missed early on in the second quarter. Three different instances saw referees award the possession to the wrong team, as well as two back-to-back questionable moving screen calls on Reese and Griner. Many coaches in Unrivaled have been caught on the mic stating their displeasure with the officiating, and it was no different tonight.

Phantom's Natasha Cloud, late in the second quarter, was called for a personal foul on the floor. She argued that Reese went over the back, to which the referee dismissed her. Head coach Adam Harrington, during all of this, repeatedly called timeout to no avail. When he was finally granted the stoppage, he also voiced his displeasure.

On the other side, Rose's Gray and Azurá Stevens finished the half with 12 points apiece. Fever guard Lexie Hull had not gotten anything to fall in the first half, but Stevens provided the bench points Rose needed to keep them within striking distance.

The Phantom continued to play their best offense of the season, but the Rose just wouldn't go away. Both Hull and Samuelson hit three-pointers, but the big shot came from none other than Ionescu. With the game clock winding down, she stepped into a running three-pointer and (of course) banked it in. Ionescu just seemed to be incapable of missing as the Phantom took an eight-point lead into the final period, setting the winning score at 73.

Rose, at one point, cut the Phantom lead to just five points in the final frame. But Phantom was just too much, and once again Ionescu was right in the middle of it. She hit her sixth and seventh three-pointers of the game in the fourth quarter en route to a season-high 32 points and a Phantom win. Satou Sabally hit the game-winner, the game ended with a score of 75-63.

Phantom will play Monday night against the Mist, while Rose will have a quick turnaround and play Saturday against the Laces.