Dana Evans is a key piece in the WNBA, playing alongside reigning MVP A’ja Wilson on the Las Vegas Aces. This is Evans’ first season in the Unrivaled league, and she made her debut Feb. 1 for the Phantom.
Evans missed the start of the season with a lower-body injury, but she was cleared to return on a minute’s restriction against the Lunar Owls. She played 7.8 minutes and finished with 5 points and 2 rebounds as the Phantom beat the Lunar Owls 59-49.
Five points might not jump off the page, but scoring on a minutes restriction in Unrivaled is tough because the pace is relentless and the window to produce is small. Games run about 20 minutes, compared with 40 in the WNBA, so players have half the time to make an impact. As a result, everything moves faster, and there is far less margin for a slow start.
All Aces Are Dominating
Even with the hurdles of returning to full speed, Evans looks ready. She is aiming to be as impactful as her Aces teammates Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, who have both been among Unrivaled’s early standouts. Gray is playing for Rose (4-5), while Young has Laces in the No. 1 spot at 7-2.
Young and Gray have been setting the tone, but Evans could quickly remind the league what it has been missing once her minutes ramp up. The Phantom’s next matchup is Feb. 7 against the Mist, with both teams sitting at 6-3. The winner will move into the No. 2 seed.
Jesse Vanderveer is a basketball reporter and writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @JesseVanderveer22
