From shutouts, teammate matchups and an epic Gray vs. Gray final, we\u2019re still reliving Unrivaled\u2019s 1-on-1 tournament.<\/p>\n
Featured Image: Leonardo Fernandez\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Unrivaled season continues to feed us content of our favorite players during the WNBA off season. The league, founded by MVPs Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, began their regular 3v3 season in January and is set to end in early March. The league is a collaborative opportunity created to provide players with more chances to play domestically (and make more money than the WNBA will pay). Selfishly for fans, we get to see more of our favorite players during their time in Unrivaled and dynamics we\u2019d never get in a traditional season.<\/p>\n
Now in its second season, Unrivaled has begun playing games outside of its headquarters in Miami, selling out Philly\u2019s Xfinity Mobile Arena and coming soon to Brooklyn\u2019s Barclays Center. In an effort to raise stakes, and give the players a chance for a $200,000 grand prize, the league brought back its 1v1 tournament from February 10 to 14.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are some of our favorite moments and match ups from throughout the week of gameplay.<\/p>\n
Veronica Burton Shutout Courtney Williams in 1 minute 15 seconds.<\/p>\n
While some of us were hoping for a StudBudz matchup, Williams was knocked out swiftly by Valkyries\u2019 point guard Veronica Burton in the tournament\u2019s shortest matchup in history. Fans were expecting a close game with Burton and Williams in close rankings, but ended up with an impressive show from Burton and her quick skills.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
@bleacherreport<\/a> Court couldn\u2019t believe it \ud83d\ude2d #unrivaled<\/a> #womensbasketball<\/a> #basketball<\/a> #wnba<\/a> #courtneywilliams<\/a> \u266c original sound \u2013 bleacherreport<\/a> <\/p>\n In typical fashion, Williams had the game livestreaming<\/a> on Twitch, where she came back laughing<\/a> after her loss apologizing to her fans. \u201cI didn\u2019t even get the ball, chat! I didn\u2019t even show y\u2019all what I can do!\u201d Regardless of the score, Williams always brings energy to the league.<\/p>\n Friend and fellow streamer Natisha Heidmann subsequently went 0-12 vs Kelsey Plum in her first round matchup. Evidently the StudBudz only came to play off the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n Natasha Cloud in a Close Call vs Champion Chelsea Gray\u00a0<\/p>\n The first match in Pod B was close as New York Liberty\u2019s Natasha Cloud went head to head with Chelsea Gray, ranked 10th and 11th seed respectively. Cloud held her own against the Unrivaled leading scorer, managing three jump shots in a row to keep the score in her favor.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unfortunately for Cloud, Gray\u2019s final<\/a> three pointer took her over the edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n Citron Upsets Record-Breaker Marina Mabrey\u00a0<\/p>\n Fresh off her rookie season, Sonia Citron defeated third seed Marina Mabrey in a close match. While the game was tight throughout the three and half minutes of play, Citron made her claim by scoring on the guard twice<\/a> within the first 18 seconds.<\/p>\n The upset came just two weeks after Mabrey set an Unrivaled record of most points scored by a player in a single game, dropping 47 points for the Lunar Owls in a matchup against the Roses.\u00a0<\/p>\n Teammates Bueckers and Ogunbowale Go Head to Head<\/p>\n In the second round, Dallas Wings\u2019 Arike Ogunbowale and Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers went up against each other, drawing hype from Dallas fans. Bueckers dominated her first match against Unrivaled teammate Kate Martin to then defeat Ogunbowale, who went to the semi-finals in the tournament last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Ogunbowale made it onto the board with four points in the first thirty seconds, Buekers dominated the rest of the match. The two seemed to enjoy going against each other on the court, being seen<\/a> laughing together before it began.<\/p>\n Battle of the Forwards: Boston vs Edwards<\/p>\n Aliyah Boston came into the tournament ready to dominate, with extra energy after her match versus Laeticia Amihere was cancelled at the last minute. She upset Unrivaled founder and first seed Breanna Stewart in the second round, both players taking timeouts during the heated game.<\/p>\n The Connecticut Sun\u2019s Aaliyah Edwards kept a solid defense against the forward, drawing out the game but racking up six fouls in the process. Boston kept Edwards at bay and unable to score, the game ending in 12-0.<\/p>\n The Gray vs Gray Finale<\/p>\n The 1-on-1 semi-finals resulted in a matchup with\u00a0 Allisha Gray and Chelsea Gray. While Allisha Gray and the Lunar Owls made it to the quarter-finals of the Unrivaled Championship last year, Chelsea Grey took the Roses to the win.\u00a0<\/p>\n In this years\u2019 1-on-1, Allisha relied on three pointers for the majority of her shots, winning the first of three games with 7-0.\u00a0 The second game Chelsea Gray came up 8-3. Allisha Gray was quick on the court in the finals with two jumpshots bringing it 6-0, but her fouls gave Chelsea Gray possession for the majority of play.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Grays played physical in the paint at the end of game three, the limitless fouls benefiting them both. Chelsea Gray made only one 3-pointer in game three and made it count to win 7-6, making her \u201cThe One\u201d and taking the tournament championship.\u00a0<\/p>\n They don\u2019t call her the Point Gawd for nothing.You can watch the full three game championship on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n