The first round of Unrivaled’s 1v1 tournament is complete, and from it, eight WNBA players advance: Napheesa Collier, Shakira Austin, Kahleah Copper, Rhyne Howard, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, Rickea Jackson, and Breanna Stewart.
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
Games were played to 11 points, or 10 minutes, whichever came first. All but two of the game’s higher-seeded players (Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young) advanced to the next round, which is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Here’s who won Unrivaled’s first-round 1v1 matchups
Napheesa Collier defeats Katie Lue Samuelson, 12-6: Napheesa Collier has been Unrivaled’s most dominant player, so it was no surprise that she was able to come away with a win here. Still, her former UConn teammate Katie Lou Samuelson put up a fight in the night’s first 1-on-1 matchup.
Shakira Austin beats Chelsea Gray 12-2: The 6’5 Shakira Austin leveraged her size against Aces point guard Shakira Austin to come away with an upset victory and advance. Austin, a 24-year-old center on the Washington Mystics, will advance to the next round of the tournament.
Kahleah Copper beats Aliyah Boston 11-6: At her best, Kahleah Copper is one of the best scorers in the game — and she showcased that against Aliyah Boston despite Boston’s four-inch height advantage.
Rhyne Howard beats Lexie Hull 12-7: Hull tallied 7 points in the loss to Rhyne Howard — the most by any losing player — but it wasn’t enough to overcome Howard’s shotmaking.
Skylar Diggins-Smith defeats Dearica Hamby 11-3: Diggins-Smith had a substantial size disadvantage in this one — she’s 5’9 and Hamby is 6’3 — but she was nonetheless able to come away with the big-time win over Hamby, Unrivaled’s third-leading scorer thus far.
Allisha Gray beats Jordin Canada 11-4: Allisha Gray got the better of Atlanta Dream teammate Jordin Canada and ran away with an 11-4 win. It’s no surprise considering Gray’s play at Unrivaled; she’s Unrivaled’s third-leading scorer this season, averaging 19.5 points. And, Gray relishes the competition — she won both the skills challenge and the three-point contest at WNBA All-Star weekend last year.
Rickea Jackson beats Jackie Young 11-3: The rookie upset the veteran with a dominant victory. Jackson, a lethal midrange scorer, got on a roll against Young, who has missed much of the Unrivaled season with a leg injury thus far.
Aaliyah Edwards beats Breanna Stewart 12-0: In perhaps the most stunning outcome of the night, Mystics rookie Aaliyah Edwards swept two-time MVP Breanna Stewart to mark the night’s third upset.
The next round of Unrivaled’s 1v1 tournament will be held on Feb. 11. Besides for the winners, seven additional players will participate who had a bye in the first round, primarily due to a slew of injuries. Those players are: Arike Ogunbowale, Rae Burrell, Azura Stevens, Courtney Williams, Satou Sabally, and DiJonai Carrington.
All of those players — in addition to Monday’s winners — are in the mix for a $200,000 cash prize. In addition, the last four players standing will each get $25,000, while the tournament runner-up will make $50,000. Game play continues Tuesday.
