Sky Duo Disappoints in Lunar Owls' Loss to Breeze
One step forward, two steps back.
The Lunar Owls restarted their spiral in the Unrivaled standings with a 75-68 loss to the Breeze. Owls forward Aaliyah Edwards led a three-player show with 23 points and a game-leading 16 rebounds, which only continued to strengthen her case to be the league's best rebounder.
The duo of Paige Bueckers and Dominique Malonga countered with 49 points of their own as they looked unstoppable in all but a few moments during their Week 4 win. Malonga threw down a one-handed slam halfway through the first quarter, the first of the Unrivaled season, in what would be another highlight night for the rising rookie.
The Chicago Sky duo of Rachel Banham and Rebecca Allen had their moments as they battled the youthful roster.
Banham and Allen Struggle in Loss
Banham would hit her first and only bucket, a quick strike from the right corner, just as it seemed the floodgates were going to give for the Lunar Owls early in the second quarter. Allen would spark a much-needed short run after she recovered the ball off a pass that slipped through Malonga's hands a few minutes later, which saw them right the ship for a short while behind a few makes from Edwards and a 3-pointer from Allen.
The former New York Liberty wing got a piece of a Bueckers midrange shot in the second quarter before blocking a Rickea Jackson layup as the Owls desperately tried to stop a win from eluding their grasp.
Still, despite their best efforts, every step forward was met with two steps back.
Both Banham and Allen, who played in all 44 games for the Sky during their 2025 campaign, struggled to contain Bueckers in the first half as she exploded for a game-high 28 points. Banham would end the night with just over three minutes of play. The starting Sky guard has logged a total of just under seven minutes of play in her last three games after averaging about eight per game in her first three matchups.
A slow start from Allen included a miscue as she tried to find Edwards off a roll. Allen attempted to earn her own space and fire quick shots the few times she had the ball in her hands, but continued to play off the ball as Edwards and Mabrey tried to stay on pace with the Breeze in the game's opening minutes.
The 33-year-old was subbed out in the first quarter in favor of Skylar Diggins, who has had some trouble of her own from the floor as she has hit a combined nine of her first 34 shots this season. Allen would end the night with more fouls than points, a feat she has pulled off twice this season, on her way to joining five other players at a spot near the top of the league with 3.7 fouls per game.
The Sky duo will need to find their rhythm as they move on to face the 1-5 Hive, who have barely surpassed the Owls for the league's worst point differential following an 18-point loss to the Laces.
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Alex Sabri began contributing to the BIGPLAY Network in September 2025. He also contributes to Chicago Sky on SI and FanSided's High Post Hoops. The Purdue and Cleveland State graduate has over two years of journalism experience in collegiate and professional sports, as well as local journalism, and a few more years of sports blogging experience. Though he specializes in covering Ohio sports for BIGPLAY, his interests include the NBA, WNBA, NFL, Cleveland Guardians and college football and basketball.