The Mist are the only remaining team with a winless record, as the Rose take Saturday's Game 1 71-66 and secure its first win of the season.
Both teams entered the contest looking for their first win. Play-by-play broadcaster Brendan Glasheen said that, while the season was still young, this felt like a "must-win game."
Rose's Angel Reese struggled early on defensively, allowing several opportunities for Mist to dump it down low for easy points. Head coach Nola Henry decided to go with the second unit early, and Lexie Hull provided a much-needed spark for Rose. Hull finished the quarter with a game-high eight points, making use of the backdoor cut to give the Rose a 22-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Rose starters came back into the game to start the game and the Mist retook the lead. Breanna Stewart led the comeback, forcing Rose to take a timeout down 32-28. Henry once again put the second unit back in and Hull got back to work. The Rose second unit seemed to have better chemistry, able to get Hull and Azura Stevens open.
Mist suffered a big blow at the end of the half, as Stewart picked up her third foul and was forced to head to the bench. Surprisingly, Rose was unable to capitalize-- even with Hull still on the court.
Rose took a 40-34 lead to the half, Hull leading the way with 15 first-half points
Reese and the first unit once again had an early exit to the third quarter, and the second unit was just as effective. Rose was able to extend its lead to nine before the Mist stormed back in the final minute. Aaliyah Edwards and Courtney Vandersloot scored the final seven points of the third to end the quarter trailing just two (60-58, Rose).
With the winning score set at 71, the two teams traded buckets in the final frame until the Rose had a 69-66 lead heading into a Rose timeout. Nola Henry and the Rose were mic'd up while drawing the play, and it ended up working out beautifully. Chelsea Gray hit the midrange stepback and picked up their first win of the season.
Hull was the star, finishing with a team-high 19 points off the bench on 8-of-11 shooting. It was by far her best performance of the season in Unrivaled, finally showing why she was such a big piece of the Indiana Fever's success in 2024.
The Mist is still in search of its first win, dropping to 0-4 on the season. Not exactly the start Breanna Stewart had in mind when founding the league, but there are still plenty of opportunities down the line.