Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league, tipped off on Monday amid uncertainty for the 2026 WNBA season while a new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated.

A quadruple-header began league play at Sephora Arena in Miami, and league co-founder Napheesa Collier made an appearance to talk WNBA CBA negotiations on the TNT broadcast.

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Collier talks WNBA negotiations: ‘We’re standing firm’

Collier will miss the Unrivaled season after undergoing surgery on both of her ankles. But the WNBA All-Star was in the building Monday night while her Lunar Owls took on Rose.

She spoke candidly about the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the WNBA and its players.

“Being on this side with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business. I think if they can’t find a model that makes it happen, they need to put people in place who can. Because we’ve proven that it is possible. There is a way. We’re thriving in that.

“I do think a deal’s gonna get done. But we’re standing firm in what we believe in. We’re not gonna back down. We can’t take less. The sport has just grown too much. It would be a disservice to the people who came before us, to the work that we’ve put in to take less than what we’re owed.”

The WNBA and the players union have twice agreed to extend the deadline for CBA talks. The latest extension expires on Jan. 9.

Chelsea Gray leads champion Rose in romp of Lunar Owls

With Collier sidelined, the Lunar Owls were outmatched against the reigning champion Rose. Rose opened a 25-9 lead through the first quarter and never let the Lunar Owls back in the game en route to an 80-60 win.

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Chelsea Gray paced Rose with 35 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. She hit 5 of 10 3-point shots including a pull-up 3 that capped the modified Elam Ending victory.

Azurá Stevens added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Rose, while Shakira Austin scored 12.

Aaliyah Edwards takes scary fall

Aaliyah Edwards paced the Lunar Owls with 23 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. But she took a scary fall late in the game when she landed head first into a basket stanchion after driving to the hoop. She spent several moments on the floor receiving attention from medical trainers, but was eventually able to get up and walk off the court on her own.

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The injury occurred late in the blowout loss, and she did not return to the court. The nature of her injury wasn’t clear, but she appeared to have avoided significant injury.

Paige Bueckers goes off in Breeze win

Paige Bueckers absolutely dominated in the final game of the night. The former UConn star dropped 24 points and shot 7-of-15 from the field while leading the Breeze to a commanding 69-62 win over Aliyah Boston and the Phantom.

Though Bueckers and Boston were dueling early, it was Bueckers and the Breeze that jumped ahead at the end of the first quarter on a small 14-4 run. Bueckers drilled a 3-pointer just before the break to keep the Breeze up by multiple possessions entering halftime, too.

From there, the Breeze never looked back. They rolled to the seven-point win and dominated the fourth quarter before Rickea Jackson hit the winning free throw to end the game.

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Tiffany Hayes led the Phantom with 20 points, and Boston finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. Kelsey Plum added 12 points, too, but went just 2-of-10 from behind the arc.Jackson added 16 points to go with Bueckers’ 24 for the Breeze and Dominique Malonga added 15 points and 14 rebounds.

Breanna Stewart hits winner for Mist

Breanna Stewart hit a fadeaway jumper from the left baseline for the game-winner, giving Mist the 72 points needed for the victory after finishing the third quarter with 61 points.

(For anyone needing a refresher on Unrivaled rules, the fourth quarter is played to a target score 11 points more than the leading team’s higher total at the end of three frames.)

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Allisha Gray led all scorers with 21 points (hitting 2 of 4 3-pointers) to lift Mist to a win in its season opener. The ninth-year pro added nine rebounds and three assists. Veronica Burton followed with an impressive all-around performance of 14 points, eight boards, six assists and three steals. Stewart and Ogunbowale each tallied 12 points.

Mist asserted itself from the start, running out to a 6-0 lead and eventually building a 20-10 margin with one minute remaining in the opening quarter. Hive cut the margin to 48-42 midway through the third quarter, but was never able to get closer. Mist put the game out of reach with an 8-0 run from there.

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Hive was led by 16 points and 10 rebounds from Monique Billings. Kelsey Mitchell (11 points) and Sonia Citron (10) were the other Hive players to score in double figures. Ezi Magbegor added eight rebounds, while Citron grabbed seven boards.

Jackie Young leads Laces to win

The second game of the day was nowhere near as close, but Jackie Young and the Laces came storming back from an early deficit to take a 58-42 win over the Vinyl.

The Vinyl, which went just 5-8 last season, jumped out to an early 11-point lead in the second quarter, and seemed well on their way to picking up the easy win. But the Laces closed the third period on a 12-2 burst to take the lead right back, and then flew ahead and hit the winning score without giving up a single point in the fourth quarter.

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In the end, it was Jackie Young that got the Laces to 58 to end the game in just more than two minutes. She hit the easy turnaround jumper after coming up with a block on the other end, too.

Erica Wheeler led the Vinyl with 12 points and five rebounds, and Rhyne Howard added 10 points. They were the only two players to hit double figures for the Vinyl, which also shot just 4-of-20 from behind the arc.

Brittney Sykes led the Laces with 19 points and seven rebounds, and Young added 15 points and five rebounds. The Laces went just 7-7 last season.