Kendra Andrews, ESPN
MIAMI — Skylar Diggins-Smith separated from DiJonai Carrington from beyond the arc and hit a shot to win the first game in Unrivaled history.
As the ball roared in, Diggins-Smith ran across the court, her Lunar Owls teammates chasing her in celebration, and the Lunar Owls beat the Misty 84-80 on Friday night.
“It was a very exciting atmosphere,” Diggins-Smith said at center court. “Tonight we’re going to celebrate that.”
The “winning score” in the new 3-on-3 Women’s Basketball League is determined by adding the leading team’s scores over the three quarters to 11 points. This means that every match will be decided by the match winner.
But this game is every bit as good as Unrivaled dreamed it would be in its first game.
“This is everything we hoped for,” said Napheesa Collier, a Lunar Owls player and league co-founder. “I think it’s a great first game that shows what we can do and what the experience is like.”
On the first night of Unrivaled, the 870-seat venue at the MediaPro Center was sold out. A few hours before the opening, fans lined up in the drizzle to enjoy the fan activities set up by the league for them. Inside, Hall of Famer Steve Nash and American soccer star Alex Morgan sat courtside. The stands were dotted with WNBA executives.
In such a small space, players said it felt like the crowd was “above us.” And playing at a neutral venue, there is no home field advantage.
Jewell Loyd equates energy in a building to a game of pickup truck. Collier said it was like a high school basketball tournament. Chelsea Gray says it goes beyond both analogies.
“It was like the fans were right there on the court,” said Gray, whose Roses lost 79-73 to the Vinyls in Game 2. “Whether there’s music or not, there’s always a lot of energy during the different games. I really love that atmosphere. Everybody wants to see good basketball.”
Collier added: “Of course. [the fanfare] It’s a distraction; it’s a weekend opening. But we’ve been in that situation where there’s a lot going on – playing in finals, playing in college games, playing in championship games. As a professional, you can prevent this from happening. “
Instead of the half-court games in Olympic 3×3 basketball, Unrivaled uses a compact full-court game, resulting in a fast-paced game.
But players said they weren’t too surprised, considering it’s the same style and pace they experienced in training camp and the preseason.
“There’s really no time when you can take away possession. There’s only three players on the field,” Gray said. “It’s a little different from that perspective. But you have to stay healthy to play this game.”
The Smoky Owls and Moon Owls shot a total of 130 times; the Vinyl and Ross teams shot 126 times. Lloyd scored 34 points – 23 in the first half – and the Vinyl’s Ryan Howard finished with 33 points.
Players noted that these shots were not out-of-character shots, but were required by the game, with each team having only three players on the court at a time.
“It’s been really fun. We’ve been practicing, scrimmaging, so it’s been really fun to go out in front of a live crowd,” Collier said. “Just enjoying the experience of the game. There’s a lot of noise, but once the ball goes up, we’re out there playing basketball.”
