Rhyne Howard Scores 24, Impresses Fans as Vinyl Beat Alyssa Thomas, Laces in Unrivaled

A late push from the Laces wasn't enough to overcome Rhyne Howard in Unrivaled action on Friday night.

Howard put up 24 points and stifling defense while leading the Vinyl to a 64-63 victory.

Her defensive game was highlighted by a block on Laces starter Tiffany Hayes:

The Laces were a single point away from winning, and the Vinyl were trailing by one, when Alyssa Thomas was assessed a personal foul in the fourth quarter.

Dearica Hamby sunk the ensuing free throw to make the Vinyl the first team to reach the game-winning score of 64 points.

The Laces trailed by as many as 12 points late in the third quarter.

Thomas and Jackie Young then led their team on a late push that threatened to erase the Vinyl's lead.

A field goal from Thomas brought the Laces within one point of winning the game before Hamby shut down the Laces' comeback hopes at the foul line.

Both Thomas and Young finished out the loss with a team-high 16 points, while fans cheered on the back-and-forth action:

The Vinyl and Laces both hold 5-6 records after the win. The two teams are jockeying for playoff positioning behind Rose BC, which has improved to 6-4 thanks to a five-game win streak, and the 9-1 Lunar Owls.

Unrivaled action continues Friday night as Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd and the Mist take on Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and the Phantom.