Sky Players See First Unrivaled Minutes in Lunar Owls Opening Loss
The first batch of 2026 Unrivaled bouts ended with wins for returning teams and newbies alike.
The young and talented Breeze BC, who defeated the Phantom behind big-time outings from their youthful starters, capped off the night with a 7-point win over the veteran roster. Rookie sensation Paige Bueckers, a star in the making who earned an All-WNBA Second Team and a Rookie of the Year selection with the Dallas Wings, notched 24 points in her first game with the newly-formed Unrivaled squad. The Mist earned their first win of the year over the Breeze's new counterparts, the Hive, behind 21 points from Allisha Gray.
The same can't be said for a Chicago Sky-repped squad in the Lunar Owls.
A Monday-night matchup was anything but a strong start for the once-mighty squad, who fell in an 80-60 loss to the 2025 Unrivaled champion in Rose BC. Chelsea Gray led the Rose with 35 points and eight assists as she continued to excel in the 3-on-3 format that netted her an All-Unrivaled First-Team selection just last year. Aaliyah Edwards and Marina Mabrey took point for the Lunar Owls with a combined 44 points as they proved to be guiding lights for the squad in two different halves.
An early battle of the bigs would ultimately end in favor of the champion squad, who pulled away with a double-digit lead late in the first quarter before ending with a 25-point lead by the half.
Azurá Stevens dominated for the Rose as she sported the greenest light on the court early on. She scored their first eight points as she confidently shot from nearly everywhere on the floor, including a quick strike from 3-point range in transition. The former Sky champion would end the game with a 19-point double-double in just under 11 minutes of play.
Edwards kept the squad above water with much-needed early buckets and boards. She used flashy moves on the interior to score 15 of the Lunar Owls' first 19 points. Temi Fágbénlé, who started in 38 games for the Golden State Valkyries last season, played in star forward Napheesa Collier's stead as she undergoes surgery on both her ankles. The former Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever big played in just over nine minutes off the bench, where she logged four points and nine rebounds.
While it would be former Sky players who would highlight the night, the Windy City's most recent representatives still had their moments on Monday.
Rebecca Allen and Rachel Banham, who were paired up on the Sky during their 2025 campaign before taking the court together once more in Unrivaled, both saw time in their first games with the Lunar Owls. They would end the night with a combined 12 points in just over 22 minutes as the Owls mostly relied on Edwards and Mabrey to generate anything on offense. How did the Sky pair perform before they move on to face the Phantom?
Rebecca Allen
Allen earned a starting role alongside Edwards and Mabrey, who pushed the pace early against the Rose. She would finish the game with six points while tacking on four rebounds, one assist and one block. The veteran guard highlighted her night with an early block on Stevens, where she held off her first few shots down low before the Lunar Owls got the ball back.
While she would play more off the ball during her time on the floor, Allen would still try to make her mark with the ball in her hands as she drove to the hoop on a pair of plays. She knocked down two 3-pointers off dishes from Mabrey, who would end the night with a game-high nine assists. If she can continue to find ways to get open off the ball, she may be able to take one step closer to finding her season-long fit with her first Unrivaled squad.
Rachel Banham
Banham took up a backup role for the Lunar Owls, where she would end the night with eight minutes off the bench. The Sky starter's confidence never wavered on both sides of the ball as she hauled up three long-range shots and sank two. She would score six points and bring down one rebound, a late-game board off a missed jumper from Gray.
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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.