The Rose solidified their playoff spot with a win over the No. 2-seeded Laces on Feb. 22. Rose held on for a 70-66 victory, improving to 6-7 with one regular-season game left.
In their first meeting, the Laces beat Rose by the same score, 70-66, on Jan. 18. This time, Rose flipped the result, and the revenge made it even sweeter.
Chelsea Gray carried Rose to the win with 38 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 56.2 percent from the field. She also drilled the go-ahead midrange jumper late to seal it. It marked her fifth 30-point game of the season, and she looks ready to make another title run.
Additionally, another key player in the win was Angel Reese, who made her season debut a memorable one. She finished with 9 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists in under 18 minutes. Without her work on the glass, the result could have looked very different.
With Reese looking like herself after the long-awaited debut and Gray playing at an elite level, Rose could be a dangerous underdog in the playoffs. Next, Rose closes the regular season Feb. 27 against the No. 1-seeded Phantom, with a chance to show the league just how scary it can be.
Jesse Vanderveer is a basketball reporter and writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @JesseVanderveer22
