Dominique Malonga made her much anticipated first dunk in the Breeze BC’s 75-68 win over the Lunar Owls BC on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Photo: Unrivaled Basketball)
MIAMI — For Dominique Malonga, the moment did not need fireworks.
It did not need a staredown, a chest pound, or a long celebration.
When the ball dropped cleanly through the rim on her long awaited dunk, the reaction around her said everything she did not.
The crowd rose. Teammates erupted. Sephora Arena buzzed with the kind of energy reserved for something fans had been waiting to see in Unrivaled.
Malonga, true to form, stayed composed.
“Yeah. It was it was great,” she said afterward. “As you said, we were winning for a long time. I was waiting to. So I’m happy it happened. I just I was happy to feel the love from the whole arena, actually. Everybody was so, so hyped up, so I’m happy. I’m not really, like, expressive on the court. So I know that I didn’t show a lot, but yeah, it was blowing my mind actually. So it was a great moment.”
In a 75 to 68 win over the Lunar Owls BC on Saturday night, the dunk became a symbol. Not of flash, but of comfort, confidence, and a young player continuing to settle into her professional growth.
For Breeze BC, it marked another step forward.
Most importantly, for Malonga, it confirmed what her coaches and teammates already believed.
A Game Built on Rhythm
Dominique Malonga leaps and hugs Cameron Brink during the Breeze BC’s matchup against the Lunar Owls BC. (Photo: Unrivaled Basketball)
Malonga’s impact extended well beyond the highlight.
She scored efficiently, rebounded with purpose, and moved fluidly within Unrivaled’s fast paced structure. Her presence felt steady rather than rushed, confident rather than forced.
That comfort has roots in her experience at the professional level when she was drafted second overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm.
“I would say so W is also a high pace game. It’s also really fast and really physical,” Malonga said. “So I think that’s really translated here. So I think the biggest difference here is just because like it’s three people. So it’s way more space on the court.”
Unrivaled’s three on three format places constant pressure on decision making. There is little time to hesitate and even less room to overthink.
“At the end of the day, it’s just like we’re in the play that we were running at five at three, just like two people in the corner like less,” she said. “So I think just having all these Seattle continuity really, really help.”
That familiarity has allowed Malonga to rely on instinct and it shows by the numbers. Ranked 14th overall in points per game (16.7), second overall in rebounds (12.8) and tied for fifth in blocks (1.2) with Breeze BC teammate Cameron Brink, it is clear her experiences in the WNBA are paying dividends for herself and her team.
“And just like naturally here it’s about just hoping we go. We don’t really think and what’s happening. We just take it,” she said. “And yeah. So it was really really easy and natural and especially to be with the whole Seattle ecosystem out there.”
Trust Built Long Before Unrivaled
Much of Malonga’s comfort can be traced to her continued work with Breeze BC head coach Noelle Quinn.
“Well, it’s really great being coached by No here too,” Malonga said. “She’s a great coach and a great human to really I felt that. And so coming in here was just so natural.
“Like I already knew everything we were going to run because, you know, we played a whole season together,” she said. “And like we always, I don’t know, had this connection.”
That familiarity eased the transition into a new league format.
“She just sent me, I feel like and just knows where to put me, where to, I can find my confidence,” Malonga said. “And so it was really really nice to have her here in a new environment, new completely new basketball. And it really helped me to like, get into it easily.”
Quinn has watched that confidence grow in the past seven months.
“It’s truly a blessing and an honor, honestly, to coach Dom from day one,” Quinn said. “She’s very driven and determined. And she wants to be great. She wants to be a great pro, but she goes about it the right way. She doesn’t shortcut her steps.”
That approach showed itself in key moments.
“That corner three is a testament to the work that she puts in,” Quinn said. “But also the confidence that her teammates have in her to take that shot.”
When the dunk followed, Quinn was not caught off guard.
“I see Dom dunk every single day, so it’s like not a surprise to me anymore,” Quinn said. “But to finally get that done in a game, I love it for her.”
Quinn believes the moment represented more than a highlight.
“I think now that was just the beginning. Now, you’ll see a lot more of it,” she said. “The way that Dom works, the way that her mind is, she’s very sharp. And just her attitude toward being a pro, this is just the beginning for her.”
Malonga felt that internal shift.
“As coach said I think like just unlocked something in my mind,” she said. “And now it’s just going to be more and more natural.”
Still, her perspective remains grounded.
“At the end of the day, it’s still two points and what matters wins the game,” Malonga said. “So like just stay smart about it.”
Chemistry Built Through Trust
Dominique Malonga has credited Paige Bueckers for her growth and confidence with raising the bar for her play on both ends of the floor. (Photo: Unrivaled Basketball)
Another factor in Malonga’s growth has been the chemistry she has developed with her teammates, particularly Paige Bueckers.
“It’s been amazing really,” Malonga said. “She’s a great playmaker. She sees the floor very well.”
The timing developed quickly and naturally, evident in their practices seen on social media clips from the league and the Breeze BC’s channels.
“I just have to be ready anytime because I know with her I can like get that ball all the time,” she said.
For Malonga, who thrives as a pick and roll finisher, that vision is invaluable.
“I am really a pick and roll player in space,” she said. “So great to have somebody that can actually really see me and pass me the ball all the time.”
The chemistry extends beyond any single pairing.
“No, it was so natural,” she said. “Like day one, we already had that connection. And I think all of us played really really well together. This chemistry, you can feel it since day one.”
That cohesion has become part of Breeze BC’s identity.
“We’re just having fun out there really,” Malonga said.
Malonga has never chased numbers or moments.
“No, not not even like really,” she said. “I just want to have one like one happened.”
Now that it has, the focus does not change. She does not measure success by highlights, but by impact.
The dunk was the moment everyone noticed.
What follows may define the player she continues to become.
