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Napheesa Collier of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx took home $200,000 on Friday after she beat Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards in the final of Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 tournament.
The winner’s check was the largest one-day prize in women’s basketball history, Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler said.
Collier, a co-founder of the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league and a No. 1 seed in the 30-player tournament, won the best-of-three series 2-1 over the eighth-seeded Edwards to become Unrivaled’s first 1-on-1 champion.
Each game between the former UConn standouts was played to a winning score of 8, with Edwards coming from behind to take the opener and Collier winning the final two.
Collier’s five Unrivaled teammates each received $10,000 from the tournament’s $350,000 prize pool. Edwards got $50,000 for reaching the final.
The win capped a dominant tournament run for Collier, who plays for Unrivaled’s Lunar Owls.
Earlier Friday, Collier overwhelmed former UConn teammate and No. 6 seed Azura Stevens in their semifinal matchup. Collier scored the first eight points of the game and the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year relied on stifling defense to win 11-2.
Collier breezed past Katie Lou Samuelson in the first round before winning a physical second-round battle against Rickea Jackson. She then beat her Lynx and Lunar Owls teammate Courtney Williams to reach the semifinals.
She shot her way past Edwards in the decisive Game 3, making 4 of 6 shots and holding Edwards scoreless.
Edwards beat two top-seeded opponents on her way to the final, cruising past No. 1 seed Arike Ogunbowale 11-2 in the first semifinal matchup earlier Friday. Before that, she shut down No. 1 seed and Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart 12-0 in the opening round. After earning a second-round bye, Edwards topped third-seeded Allisha Gray 12-6.
Ogunbowale and Stevens won $25,000 each for reaching the semifinals.
Rounds up to the finals were single-elimination and played to a winning score of 11. All games had traditional scoring, with each basket worth either two or three points.
Collier and Stewart’s goal in founding Unrivaled was to give WNBA players opportunities to compete in the United States and earn good salaries — an especially attractive opportunity for players who for years competed overseas in the offseason to supplement their income.
Unrivaled players earn an average salary of more than $220,000, which is close to the maximum base salary in the WNBA.
