Kelsey Plum, Phantom Beat Rhyne Howard, Vinyl to Advance to Unrivaled Championship Game

The Phantom and Kelsey Plum are headed to the 2026 Unrivaled Championship after defeating Rhyne Howard and the Vinyl 83-75 on Monday night.

The No. 1 seed will now await the winner of the No. 2 Mist and No. 5 Breeze semifinal matchup.

The Phantom jumped out to a 21-16 lead after the first quarter behind clutch offensive possessions from Natasha Howard and Plum, while Howard kept the Vinyl within striking distance.

Plum caught fire to open the second quarter, but Howard and the Vinyl starters answered with a strong team stretch to trim the deficit and carry a three-point game into halftime.

Tiffany Hayes erupted in the third, sparking the Phantom to regain control and enter the final frame ahead 71-64 with the target score set at 82.

The Phantom stretched the lead to 11 and appeared ready to cruise, but Vinyl responded with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to three and inject late drama into the finish.

Both teams traded blows down the stretch with the target score in sight. An Erica Wheeler foul on Plum was overturned after a successful challenge, but Plum answered on the very next possession, drilling a step-back three-pointer to seal the win and send the Phantom to the next round.

Phantom's Plum led all scorers with 31 points, adding six rebounds and five assists in the victory. Hayes chipped in 19 points and five rebounds, Kiki Iriafen recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Cloud provided 14 points and four assists off the bench.

Dearica Hamby led the Vinyl with 30 points and eight rebounds, Howard added 16 points and Rae Burrell finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. 

Playoff Bracket

First Round 

No. 6 seed Vinyl def. No. 3 seed Laces, 82-69

No. 5 seed Breeze def. No. 4 seed Rose, 69-50

Semifinals 

No. 1 seed Phantom def. No. 6 seed Vinyl, 83-75

No. 2 seed Mist vs. No. 5 seed Breeze: 8:45 p.m. ET

Finals (Wednesday, March 4)

No. 1 seed Phantom vs. winner of No. 2 seed Mist vs. No. 5 seed Breeze