The Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament is near its conclusion and on Friday, Feb. 14 a champion will be crowned after Aaliyah Edwards faces Arike Ogunbowale and the winner meets up with the winner of Azurá Stevens and Napheesa Collier.
The games are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on TNT and truTV. Fans looking to watch this weekend’s Unrivaled games can do so for free by using DirecTV Stream, which offers a free trial or with SlingTV, which doesn’t offer a free trial but has promotional offers available. MAX has plans starting at just $9.99/month, and includes movies, original series and more.
Edwards had arguably the hardest path, having to knock off one of the top seeds, Breanna Stewart, in the opening round, before defeating Allisha Gray to reach this point. Ogunbowale had a bye in the opening round, then dispatched of Skylar Diggins-Smith and Satou Sabally to reach the semis.
Collier defeated Katie Lou Samuelson, Rickea Jackson, and then her Minnesota Lynx and Lunar Owls teammate Courtney Williams to get here. And Stevens dealt with Shakira Austin and Rae Burrell to get to this matchup with Collier.
Semi-Final 1: Aaliyah Edwards vs. Arike Ogunbowale
Semi-Final 2: Azurá Stevens vs. Napheesa Collier
Finals: Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner of Semi-Final 2
Where: Mediparo in Medley, Fla.
Stream: Sling; DirecTV Stream; MAX
Betting: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
What is DirecTV Stream?
DirecTV Stream offers practically everything DirecTV provides, except for a remote and a streaming device to connect to your television. Sign up now and get three free months of premium channels including MAX, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME and Starz.
What is SlingTV?
SlingTV offers a variety of live programing ranging from news and sports and starting as low as $20 a month for your first month. Subscribers also get a month of DVR Plus free if they sign up now. Choose from a variety of sports packages without long-term contracts and with easy cancelation.
What is MAX?
MAX is a streaming service that combines the catalogues of HBO and the various channels that make up the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks like CNN, Discovery Channel and TLC. The service is also partnered with Bleacher Report to provide sports coverage for anything covered by Turner Sports such as the NBA on TNT, the NHL on TNT, college basketball games on TNT and TBS and the Unrivaled 3×3 basketball league. You can also bundle your MAX subscription with Disney+ and Hulu.
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Eighth-seeded Aaliyah Edwards advances to semis of Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament
By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer
Eighth-seeded Aaliyah Edwards advanced to the semifinals of the Unrivaled 1-on-1 tournament beating Allisha Gray in the quarterfinals Tuesday night.
Edwards, who had the surprising win of the opening round by shutting out top-seed Breanna Stewart had a bye in the second round. Having the extra rest certainly helped against Gray, who beat Kahleah Copper in the second round.
“Shouldn’t be surprised. Played my first year in the league, now I’m tapping into myself and the confidence is showing and the work is showing,” Edwards said.
She was joined in the semifinals Friday night by two other former UConn players — Napheesa Collier and Azura Stevens. The two former college teammates will face off in one of the matchups. Edwards will play Arike Ogunbowale in the other contest.
By reaching the semifinals each of the four players were guaranteed $25,000. The winner of the tournament will receive $200,000 and the runner-up gets $50,000. The winner’s Unrivaled teammates each get $10,000.
The finals will be a best-of-three series with the winning score for each game also to 11. Each game has traditional scoring with baskets worth either two or three points. Rounds up until the finals were single elimination.
Three of the four quarterfinals matchups featured WNBA teammates. Collier advanced to the semis by beating her Unrivaled and Minnesota Lynx partner Courtney Williams 12-4. Stevens beat her Los Angeles Sparks teammate Rae Burrell 12-2 in the quarterfinals. Ogunbowale topped her former Dallas Wings partner Satou Sabally. Sabally was traded to Phoenix earlier this month.
Ogunbowale went up 8-0 and then held on for a 12-8 victory.
Both the second round and quarterfinals were played Tuesday night.
The best game of the second round was Rhyne Howard against Williams. Howard was down 8-0 before scoring nine straight points to take a 9-8 lead. Williams got a stop and then got fouled shooting a 3-pointer. She made the free throw that was worth three points to win the game and set up the matchup with Collier in the quarterfinals.
Other players who reached the second round included Jewell Loyd, Shakira Austin, Rickea Jackson, Skylar Diggins-Smith and DiJonai Carrington.
The 1-on-1 tournament, which tipped off Monday night, featured 23 of the 36 players in the league. Some had to drop out because of injuries before playing their first-round game.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
