Unrivaled took a break from 3×3 action and pivoted to its 1-on-1 Tournament this week.
The first round was completed on Wednesday night with Chelsea Gray, Breanna Stewart, Sonia Citron, Kelsey Mitchell, Arike Ogunbowale, Aaliyah Edwards, Rae Burrell, Paige Bueckers, Shakira Austin, Jackie Young and Veronica Burton all advancing. They’ll be joining Kelsey Plum, Natasha Hiedeman, Allisha Gray, Saniya Rivers, and Aliyah Boston in the second round, all of whom advanced via bye.
With the winners set, the bracket is solidified and the second round and quarterfinals will be played on Friday, Feb. 13 But first, here’s a recap of every opening round result.
No. 2-seed Chelsea Gray defeats No. 7-seed Natasha Cloud, 11-10
The first contest of the night was a tightly-contested one. Cloud scored eight straight to put herself in front 10-5. With the winning score being 11 points, all she had to do was score again to win. However, Gray wasn’t done and hit to clutch back-to-back threes to beat Cloud and advance.
No. 1-seed Breanna Stewart defeats No. 8-seed Li Yueru, 11-6
The No. 1 seed-vs.-No 8. seed is typically a mismatch, and this was no different. Yueru was able to make a mini-run to even the game up at 6-6 after an early scoring outburst by Stewart, but then Stewart hit a three and the game-winning layup.
Last season, Stewart was eliminated in the opening round, but now she will advance to the next stage.
No. 6-seed Sonia Citron defeats No. 3-seed Marina Mabrey, 12-10
Citron earned the first upset of this tournament, beating Mabrey.
She was hot early, knocking down a 3 and following it up with a floater to jump in front, 5-0. Then, Mabrey inverted Cirtron’s scoring with a layup and 3 of her own. After that, she hit a logo 3-pointer and tried to win it on another beyond-the-arc shot attempt. Mabrey missed but got her own rebound, making it a 10-5 affair.
Citron, with her back against the wall, pushed back. She got a shot clock violation, scored a free throw and hit another 3 to even the game at 10. On the following possession, she drove to the left and ended things with her signature fadeaway jumper.
No. 1-seed Kelsey Mitchell defeats No. 8-seed Rachel Banham, 12-3
Mitchell is one of the best guards in the world, and she showed why in this matchup. Banham had no chance to win as Mitchell went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Mitchell scored the last 10 points and ended the game quickly.
No. 4-seed Arike Ogunbowale defeats No. 5-seed Brittney Sykes, 11-2
The 1-on-1 stage is perfect for a dominant force like Ogunbowale. When she gets hot, Ogunbowale is one of the most unguardable players in basketball. And, in this setting, defenders have no help—and Sykes had no hope.
Arike scored nine unanswered before Sykes got on the board with a layup. Ogunbowale got into the paint and scored, ending this contest in under two minutes.
No. 2-seed Aaliyah Edwards defeats No. 7-seed Dominque Malonga, 11-8
Malonga is a great young player, but Edwards’ experience came out on top. In the beginning, Malonga dominated and jumped out to a 6-0 advantage. However, Edwards tightened up defensively and scored nine straight to get in front 9-6.
Malonga took the first timeout of the night after grabbing a rebound and scored inside to make it a 9-8 game. But Edwards grabbed a defensive rebound off a Malonga miss, and with her opponent on the ground, Edwards took advantage and scored an easy two for the win. Or, what she thought was the win. It was ruled that Edwards did not have both feet behind 3-point arc when receiving the ball for her game-winning bucket. Both competitors were called back to the court, and Edwards then finished off Malonga.
No. 7-seed Rae Burrell defeats No. 2-seed Rhyne Howard, 12-9
In the beginning, it looked like Howard was going to cruise to victory. She went on a scoring frenzy and was ahead 7-0. Burrell saw Howard’s 7-0 run and responded with a 10-0 run. Howard then scored in the paint, but missed on the following play.
Burrell got the board, and after a back-to-back fouls by Howard, she got to the line and ended the game. Howard was the higher seed, but on this night, Burrell was the better player.
No. 1-seed Paige Bueckers defeats No. 8-seed Kate Martin, 12-5
Similar to Ogunbowale, Bueckers is as good as it gets offensively. She dominated this game and was never in any real danger of losing. She scored the first eight points, and after Martin scored five straight, Bueckers ended the game with a pair of layups.
Now, she’ll play Ogunbowale in the second round. Get the popcorn ready.
No. 6-seed Shakira Austin defeats No. 3-seed Dearica Hamby, 12-10
Austin got the upset win over Hamby in this tight contest. Both players went on their runs, but Hamby was in front 10-6 once things settled.
Hamby then took a top-of-the-key 3 to win the game, but missed, and Austin scored two-straight baskets to even things at 10. Each player missed their next shot attempts, but Austin scored on a fading bankshot to win the game.
No. 3-seed Jackie Young defeats No. 6-seed Aziaha James, 12-4
Young got the scoring started in this game, and James responded with a basket inside to even things at two.
A break in the action took place as Young dealt with an injury to her hand, but once play resumed, she scored right away. James tied it again on a bank shot, but after that, Young dominated. She scored eight straight and ended things quickly.
No. 5-seed Veronica Burton defeats No. 4-seed Courtney Williams 12-0
Speaking of ending things quickly…
Burton not only beat Williams 12-0, but she also never allowed her opponent to have possession. The entire game was shorter than most TikTok videos, lasting just 75 seconds. Luckily, one half of the Stud Budz took the loss in stride.
Now we have just 16 players left, trying to prove they are the best individual player in Unrivaled and, of course, win the $200K cash prize.