The Mist are through to the Unrivaled finals after Monday night\u2019s thrilling comeback win over the Breeze, and they have one special star to thank.<\/p>\n
Arike Ogunbowale helped lift her team to the 73-69 victory despite the Breeze leading for most of the contest. The Mist battled back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to take a one-point lead by the end of the game; then, Ogunbowale did what she does best and drilled a clutch three-pointer on a second-chance look to seal the Mist\u2019s spot in the championship game\u2014and on her 28th birthday, to boot. <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a replay of her emphatic game-winning shot:<\/p>\n
Arike Ogunbowale sends the Mist to the Unrivaled Championship.pic.twitter.com\/qPhCcpUWxB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) March 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Monday\u2019s sold-out game at Barclays Center featured several sports stars and celebrities \u2014including UConn\u2019s Azzi Fudd, WNBA legend Sue Bird, USWNT icons Kelley O\u2019Hara and Alex Morgan and women\u2019s sports mega-fan Jason Sudeikis\u2014in attendance.<\/p>\n Ogunbowale, a four-time WNBA All-Star, faced off against her fellow Wings teammate Paige Bueckers, who entered the matchup leading the Breeze with 22.1 points and 5.5 assists per game. But Bueckers\u2019s side ultimately couldn\u2019t hold off a tenacious Mist squad featuring elite shot-makers like Ogunbowale (21 points), Breanna Stewart (23 points) and Allisha Gray (12 points) who fought until the very end for their sweet come-from-behind victory.<\/p>\n The Mist will face the Phantom, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, on Wednesday in Miami, with a $600,000 prize pool for the league\u2019s champion. After Unrivaled wraps up, players will start preparing for the WNBA regular season which will tip-off on May 8<\/a>, assuming the WNBPA and the league finalize a new collective bargaining agreement<\/a> by then.<\/p>\n \u201cWe as players, we don\u2019t want to strike,\u201d Bueckers said of the drawn-out standoff between the WNBA and players\u2019 union<\/a>. \u201cWe want to have a season. I love playing basketball. That\u2019s all I want to do. But again, there are things that need to be handled, and we want to do it as professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n More WNBA on Sports Illustrated