Chelsea Gray once had Angel Reese and Kahleah Copper alongside her during Rose BC’s run to the inaugural Unrivaled title, forming one of the league’s most balanced trios. Gray led the charge as the primary scorer and playmaker, while Reese and Copper filled their roles perfectly. In the opening game of season two, Gray had neither by her side, yet she still delivered a statement that resonated across Unrivaled.

“You can tell when somebody is not finishing or doing what she envisions for them, she’s like, ‘All right, everybody just get out of the way. I’m gonna handle this myself,” Kalia Butler said on the “Locked On Women’s Basketball” podcast.

Gray missed Reese and Copper on the court as her teammates were slightly inefficient. Lexie Hull went 3-8 from the field for 7 points, Azura Stevens had 19 points while shooting 7-18, and Shakira Austin was 3-7, while Sug Sutton was 3-12. But Gray led the Rose BC to a dominating 80-60 win over the short-handed Lunar Owls.

Gray absolutely balled out, finishing the game with 35 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals in 21.5 minutes on the court. She did not miss many, shooting 5-10 from three and 14-20 from the field overall. It’s like she took over the game on her own. 

Still, the Gray-big pick-and-roll was basically impossible to stop. Whether it was Azurá Stevens or Shakira Austin setting the screen, the read didn’t matter: leave the big open, and Gray hits her. Take that away, and Gray simply scores herself, from deep, the mid-range, or right at the rim. The Rose BC leader is now looking to take them to another banner.

“The Rose, they saw their first-ever Unrivaled Championship banner raised before the game. So, that 100% has to account for a little bit of extra motivation,” Sophia Jones said. “But Chelsea Gray said after the game, she was like, ‘That banner up there, championships are the standard,’ and Rose really got out to a hot start and established that that’s how they’re going to continue and move forward.”

Copper was listed with a right lower extremity issue. The details and severity of the injury are unknown. Regardless, it could be up to Gray to continue such performances for the Rose BC to repeat their 2025 success and compensate for Reese’s loss. Another differentiator that lies with Rose is their ability to defend, which coach Nola Henry emphasized after the game. 

Rose BC’s Bid For A Repeat Without Angel Reese Depends On Their Defense

On paper, Rose are one of the best teams in the league already. Their roster doesn’t look much different from last season. Gray and Copper were protected in the draft for the new season, and Nola Henry also managed to retain Lexie Hull and Azurá Stevens. Austin and Sutton are the only additions. While Angel Reese is a big loss, other teams have even more turnover in comparison. The familiarity factor will help Rose quickly gain an edge, especially on defense. 

“It just starts on the defensive end,” coach Nola Henry said after their first win. “This is a scrappy style of play, and so it comes down to more times than not, one-on-one pride. And you see Suge, Lexi, guarding Marina and just making everything tough for her. They take pride in that. They have pride.”

Rose managed to grab 11 steals compared to the Owls’ two. That is 10 interrupted possessions, and in a faster game with an 18-second shot clock, they are even more valuable. The loss of Reese was definitely felt as they were out-rebounded 29-23. Last season, they led the league in rebounds per game at 37.4 per game courtesy of Angel Reese. That number might drop this season.

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Austin may not be the same level of rebounder that Reese is, but she can provide strong inside scoring, rim protection, and size as she adapts to 3v3 and the league. Combining Austin’s skill set with Stevens’s versatility gives the Rose a strong big rotation despite losing Reese and compensating on the boards once the dust settles.