The fifth attempt did wonders for the Lunar Owls. The Owls finally managed to turn things around as they won their maiden game this season, beating Vinyl 68-57. Marina Mabrey, 31, Aaliyah Edwards, 13, and Rebecca Allen, 10, all had crucial contributions. Naturally, the post-game mood was chirpy as Aaliyah Edwards and the Owls’ head coach, DJ Sackmann, joined the press.

It got even funnier when Aaliyah was asked about her UConn teammate Paige Bueckers’ solid 37-point performance against the Mist.

“Ok, but she didn’t get 38, though,” said Edwards, lighting up the room with her sly banter as even Sackmann chuckled by her side.

Bueckers undoubtedly had a solid game, but she couldn’t match Edwards’ 38-point game against the Laces. However, in Paige Bueckers’ defense, her team actually benefited from the score as they beat the Mist 83-64. Yet Edwards wasn’t so lucky.

Even her 38 points couldn’t help her team go past the Laces 84-72. Now finally, though, the team is past that stage with a win over Vinyl.

After an even contest in the first half that saw Vinyl leading by one, the game started swinging in the Lunar Owls’ favor during the third quarter as the Owls began pulling away. Aaliyah Edwards, Marina Mabrey, and Skylar Diggins all scored as part of a 7-0 run that gave Lunar Owls the lead midway through the third. Vinyl’s Rhyne Howard got the game even with her 3-pointer, but ultimately Mabrey sealed the deal with a 3-point shot.

Marina Mabrey’s 31 points and nine rebounds, along with the game-clinching basket, made her the undisputed “Player of the Game.” Edwards was also dominant on the board. Apart from the 13 points, she controlled the boards (18 rebounds).

Seems like it really was a night for the UConn Huskies, as Paige Bueckers also had a night to remember for the Breeze.

Bueckers does it again for the Breeze against the Mist

Is there a way to stop Paige Bueckers? Every team must be asking this question in Unrivaled right now.

Paige’s last five games just tell you why -24 PPG, 16 PPG,15 PPG, 25 PPG, and 37 PPG. How do you even answer that level of aggressiveness? Bueckers is not just good; she is simply extraordinary.

Bueckers made it rain in Florida with 37 points on 14-for-19 shooting. The Minnesota native had five 3-pointers, and it didn’t matter if she took shot attempts above the break, off the dribble, or via catch-and-shoot scenarios. If Bueckers got the ball, it was more than likely to go in.

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But the other aspects of her game deserve praise, too.

She used her gravity to get her paint touches and kick out to Breeze’s shooters for open looks. Bueckers ended the night with five assists, which made her the best player on the glass that day.

But it was not just the offense where she chimed in.

Paige made some good defense, too, and got 8 rebounds and 1 block to earn her team a decisive victory.

The Breeze are 3-2 right now in the tournament, and the credit goes to Paige Bueckers.

Two of UConn’s brightest players are shining through with their performances in this new format of the game, and that merely can’t be a coincidence. Ironically Unrivaled is also the brainchild of two UConn alumni – Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. So everything’s coming together now.

Somewhere, probably in the Storrs locker room, Geno Auriemma is having a beaming sense of pride to see how his girls have developed into superstars of the sport.