Unrivaled: Exclusive player reactions from 1-on-1 Tournament

And then there were four.

After seven second-round games and four quarter-final matchups on Tuesday night, the final four standing in Unrivaled’s 1-on-1 Tournament are No. 1-seed Napheesa Collier of Lunar Owls, No. 1-seed Arike Ogunbowale of Vinyl, No. 6-seed Azurá Stevens of Rose and No. 8-seed Aaliyah Edwards of Mist.

The four semi-finalists already have secured at least $25,000, with the possibility of earning up to $200,000 on Friday. Their teammates on Lunar Owls, Vinyl, Rose and Mist also will be rooting hard for their representative, hoping for $10,000 each from the $350,000 prize pool.

Here’s how Collier, Ogunbowale, Stevens and Edwards prevailed over the other contestants to advance to the semi-finals, along with some exclusive post-match thoughts that winners shared to Swish Appeal’s Stephanie Kaloi:

Second-round

Skill, strategy, a little bit of psycho and some shotmaking luck seem to be the ingredients for success in the 1-on-1 setting. Second-round winners found the right recipe.

Allisha Gray 11, Kahleah Copper 5

Copper has speed, but Gray has strength. The, as she clarified, 6-foot-0 guard used her strength advantage to power through Copper for the win. Speaking of advantages, that’s what Brittney Griner will bring to the Atlanta Dream in 2025, something Gray expressed to Swish Appeal after her victory.

Rae Burrell 11, Jewell Loyd 4

Another No. 1 seed goes down. Similar to how Edwards ousted Stewart in the first round, Burrell wasted no time taking it to Loyd with confidence. She oozed aggression, utilizing her size, quickness and athleticism to overwhelm Loyd.

Azurá Stevens 11, Shakira Austin 4

In this battle of bigs, Stevens proved to be a bit shiftier and more skilled than Austin. She showed of her 3-ball, displayed a nice drive game and applied her length on defense. In short, she showed off her versatility, which she emphasized to Swish Appeal after the match.

Napheesa Collier 12, Rickea Jackson 5

Before this one, Collier stated her belief that she is the best player in the tournament—and then she went out and proved it. It was a total two-way effort, with Phee combining her methodical offensive approach with an extra dose of aggression on defense. After her win, the co-founder told Swish Appeal about why Unrivaled introduced a 1-on-1 tournament, while also sharing her thoughts about her co-founder Breanna Stewart’s loss in the first round.

Courtney Williams 11, Rhyne Howard 9

A master of midrange, Williams raced out to an 8-0 lead by dropping in some beautiful jumpers. She also adopted the strategy utilized by her Lunar Owls teammate Skylar Diggins-Smith, trying to foul Howard before she could attempt a shot. While Howard would storm back to take the lead, amplifying her size and strength advantages with an attacking mindset, Williams would prevail after Howard fouled her on a 3-point attempt. Williams discussed her approach with Swish Appeal after the win.

Arike Ogunbowale 12, Skylar Diggins-Smith 12

Diggins-Smith’s seething determination was not enough to knock of her fellow Notre Dame alum in Ogunbowale. Ogunbowale seemed prepared for Diggins-Smith’s strategy, as she told Swish Appeal after win. She also shared her thoughts about what’s next for the Dallas Wings.

Satou Sabally 11, DiJonai Carrington 4

This was a defensive battle, with points few and far between as the 10-minute running clock ticked down. Eventually, Sabally began to find the bottom of the net. While excited about this win, she’s even more excited about joining the Phoenix Mercury, as she expressed to Swish Appeal afterwards.

Semi-finals

The story of the semi-finals is that big (mostly) is better, as the taller player won three of the four contests. Athletes who wed size and skill, something everyone knew about Collier and now is discovering about Stevens and Edwards, have more paths to victory in the intensified 1-on-1 setting. However, as Ogunbowale demonstrated, having a deep bag of tricks and the ability to make tough buckets can beat a skilled big.

Aaliyah Edwards 12, Allisha Gray 6

The underdog, upstart Canadian rookie again played fearlessly to advance to the semi-finals. Gray might be a big guard, but Edwards is a big with some guard skills who bullied her way to the win.

Azurá Stevens 12, Rae Burrell 2

Stevens again flashed her versatility to defeat her Los Angeles Sparks teammate, shooting from deep and showing of her handle. The performances of both players should be a salve to Sparks fans after last season’s struggles. Earlier in the evening, Burrell spoke to Swish Appeal about what to expect from LA in 2025.

Napheesa Collier 12, Courtney Williams 4

Collier’s quest to be queen of the court continues, as she took care of her Lunar Owls and Minnesota Lynx teammate in Williams. But we know Williams will be supporting Collier on Friday night and, as Williams made clear to Swish Appeal, the pair also have a shared goal in mind for the 2025 WNBA season: the ring.

Arike Ogunbowale 12, Satou Sabally 8

In theory, Ogunbowale possesses the ideal 1-on-1 game. The quickness. The handles. The shooting. The clutch gene. And in this tournament, that theory has become practice, as the remaining Dallas Wing defeated the departed Dallas Wing.