Eighth-seeded Aaliyah Edwards triumphed over Allisha Gray Tuesday night, securing her spot in the semifinals of the Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament.
Edwards had earlier made headlines by pulling off a remarkable win against top seed Breanna Stewart, shutting her out in the opening round, and enjoyed a bye during the second round. This additional rest proved beneficial as she faced Gray, who had advanced after overcoming Kahleah Copper.
“I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m in my first year in the league, and I’m finally tapping into my potential; the confidence and hard work are definitely paying off,” Edwards commented after her victory.
Joining Edwards in the semifinals on Friday are two former UConn teammates, Napheesa Collier and Azura Stevens. The pair will compete against each other, while Edwards is set to take on Arike Ogunbowale in the other semifinal matchup.
As a result of advancing to the semifinals, each of the four competing players is assured a prize of $25,000. The tournament champion stands to earn $200,000, while the runner-up will receive $50,000. Additionally, each teammate of the winner will get $10,000.
The finals will be conducted in a best-of-three format, with each game aiming for a score of 11 points, using traditional scoring where baskets are valued at two or three points. All preliminary rounds, up to the finals, are set in a single-elimination format.
In the quarterfinals, three of the matchups involved WNBA teammates. Collier secured her place in the semifinals by defeating her Lynx and Unrivaled partner Courtney Williams with a score of 12-4. Similarly, Stevens claim victory over her Sparks teammate Rae Burrell with a scoreline of 12-2. Ogunbowale achieved her victory against former Dallas Wings teammate Satou Sabally, who had recently been traded to Phoenix. She took an early lead of 8-0 before concluding the match at 12-8.
Both the second round and quarterfinals took place on the same night. The standout performance in the second round was delivered by Rhyne Howard against Williams. After falling behind 8-0, Howard rallied with nine consecutive points to take a 9-8 lead. Williams managed to regain the upper hand by forcing a foul on a 3-point shot and converting the subsequent free throw to clinch the win, thus setting up her matchup against Collier in the quarterfinals.
Other notable players who advanced to the second round included Jewell Loyd, Shakira Austin, Rickea Jackson, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and DiJonai Carrington.
The 1-on-1 tournament commenced on Monday and featured 23 of the 36 players in the league, though some were unable to participate due to injuries prior to their first-round games.
