Paige Bueckers did not need long to settle into Unrivaled. She scored a game-high 24 points and added six assists Sunday as Breeze BC opened its inaugural season with a 69-62 victory over Phantom BC, delivering the franchise’s first win on the league’s opening day. In a fast, physical three-on-three setting, Bueckers’ comfort was evident from the opening minutes.
“It was really fun,” Bueckers said. “It was really competitive, which is what we expected. Extremely physical. Three-on-three is just a really fun brand of basketball, and seeing where we’re growing as a team is exciting for this to be our first game.”
Breeze BC jumped out to an early lead behind Bueckers’ aggressiveness. She finished the first quarter in double figures, scoring 10 points as Breeze took a 23-17 advantage after an opening frame that featured three lead changes and four ties.
Setting the Tone on Opening Night
Bueckers continued to build momentum in the second quarter, draining a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give her 15 points at halftime and push Breeze BC into the break with a 44-39 lead. Breeze controlled the interior through two quarters, outscoring Phantom BC 26-16 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 21-16.
The third quarter opened with a sequence that captured Bueckers’ all-around impact. She hit a step-back jumper, blocked a Kelsey Plum attempt and took a charge on consecutive possessions, then scored Breeze BC’s first six points of the period.
Breeze entered the fourth quarter leading 57-51, and despite a late push from Phantom BC, held on to secure the win. Dominique Malonga posted a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double, while Rickea Jackson added 16 points. Bueckers and Malonga combined for key rebounds down the stretch.
Built for Space, Pace and Physicality
The pace and physicality of Unrivaled stood out immediately, even for players accustomed to elite competition. Bueckers acknowledged conditioning as one of the biggest early adjustments.
“This game is so fast-paced, and there’s never a possession where you’re not involved on both ends,” she said. “In five-on-five, you can be out of the action for stretches. Here, you’re always in it.”
Breeze BC head coach Noelle Quinn emphasized that environment while tailoring the offense to Bueckers’ versatility as a big guard.
“Paige is a big guard, and I have an affinity for that,” Quinn said. “Her ability to post up and come off ball screens puts her in difficult-to-defend areas of the floor. Whether it’s high ball screens, side ball screens, or logo ball screens, it’s difficult to defend. At the end of the day, she can get buckets, and that’s what we want.”
For Bueckers, the debut reinforced both the league’s potential and her own growth mindset entering the offseason.
“Truly everything,” she said when asked what she hopes to improve. “Operating and defending in space, creating isolation. I want to continue to get stronger, use my body to get to the free-throw line and the paint, and get more threes up.”
Opening night ended with a win, but the message from Bueckers was clear — for her and for Unrivaled, it is only the start.
A Familiar Format for Paige Bueckers
While Unrivaled represents a new professional chapter, the three-on-three format is far from unfamiliar territory for Bueckers. She entered the league with one of the deepest 3×3 résumés of any player on the roster.
Bueckers won gold with USA Basketball at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games 3×3 tournament in Buenos Aires, where the Americans went 7–0. She later became the youngest member of the senior U.S. women’s 3×3 national team at the 2019 ANOC World Beach Games in Doha, averaging 6.5 points per game while competing alongside established WNBA talent. Her success across youth and senior international 3×3 competitions was a major factor in her being named USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year in 2019.
That background showed again Sunday as Bueckers navigated space, created off the dribble and made quick reads in a condensed floor.
“This is not a secondary league,” she said. “This is really good, competitive basketball. People are used to five-on-five, so being able to watch three-on-three with different players in a different setting and format is really fun.”