Nail-biters, roster shakeups and major injury news defined Week 5 of Unrivaled, with two clubs punching their tickets to the postseason during a slate of tightly-contested games.
This week, Unrivaled will take a break from regular-season games to host its annual one-on-one tournament.
One-on-one tournament bracket
Unrivaled has released the bracket and matchups for their second annual one-on-one tournament. The tournament will kick off with the first round on Feb. 11. The second round and quarterfinals will be played Feb. 13, followed by the semifinals and finals on Feb. 14.
The champion will win $200,000, and the runner-up will win $50,000. Additionally, the semifinalists will each earn $25,000.
With the competitiveness that Unrivaled players play with and show in their regular-season games, the one-on-one tournament is expected to be entertaining, with some players taking on their club teammates.
Mist BC wing Arike Ogunbowale will face Laces BC wing Brittney Sykes in the first round, with whom she shares a similar play style.
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“It’s gonna be fun,” Ogunbowale told reporters. “I love Slim’s game. She’s tough. She can get to the cup. We kind of have a lot of the same thing, so it’s gonna be a good matchup. I’m excited, and I’m excited to watch everybody else too.”
The one-on-one tournament exposes everything about a player’s game without teammates to turn to for help on the floor. Players put themselves in a vulnerable position when competing in this type of matchup. One-on-one brings out skills that players may not even know they have to improve on.
Hive BC guard Kelsey Mitchell is participating in the one-on-one tournament for the first time and is embracing the opportunity to “see where (her) game is.”
“You can’t run away from it,” Mitchell told reporters. “(You) can’t shy away from the opportunity to see where you are. It shows what this league is, shows how great this league is. … I’m gonna trust the work that I put in. I’m gonna trust the coaches around me, trust the process and make sure it’s about fun. I think if I keep it about fun, it’ll be fun.”
Aari McDonald injury trigers three-team trade
On Monday, Unrivaled announced that Breeze BC guard Aari McDonald will miss the remainder of the 2026 Unrivaled season due to a right lower extremity injury.
McDonald sustained an injury at the beginning of the season, appearing in only one game for the Breeze. It is important to note that McDonald also suffered a season-ending injury during the 2025 WNBA season. She broke a bone in her right foot. McDonald was limited in minutes in Unrivaled while she recovered from her WNBA injury.
Due to McDonald’s injury, the Breeze were down to five players. Shortly after Unrivaled announced she would miss the season, it also announced three trades to help fill McDonald’s vacancy.
Vinyl BC traded guard Courtney Williams to the Breeze to fill that void. Additionally, Hive BC traded guard Saniya Rivers to Vinyl BC to replace Williams, and Rose BC traded forward Azura Stevens to Hive BC to fill Rivers’ spot.
Rose BC now has a vacancy on its roster that needs to be filled. The sixth spot on the team’s website reads “coming soon.”
Week five game recaps
Friday games
Friday’s double-header featured Hive BC versus Breeze BC and Laces BC versus Lunar Owls BC.
The first game between Hive BC and Breeze BC went down to the wire, eventually leading to the Hive defeating the Breeze 70-68. Former Hive guard Saniya Rivers’ third-quarter defense was a game-changer, helping generate momentum during the Hive’s 14-0 run to get the win.
“Saniya is an X factor defensively,” Hive coach Rena Wakama told reporters. “And when she’s locked in and using her length and her strength, we’re a really dangerous team, and that’s what you guys saw in that third quarter.”
Wakama also praised her team for their perseverance, saying that she has “a group of players that have no quit in them. … It doesn’t matter what the score is, we’re going to fight to the end.”
Breeze players showed a lot of physical frustration throughout the game. Breeze BC head coach Noelle Quinn said her team wasn’t focused from the start of the game, which carried over to the third quarter when the Hive went on a run.
“I think we have a versatile team,” Quinn told reporters. “So I like our bigs that we have. It was just a matter of our compete level, getting stops and going to what was working, continuing to lock into that. But we had 30 points in a paint in the first and then … I think we got away from the things that we were really finding flourishing in the first half.”
In the second game between Laces BC and Lunar Owls BC, developmental pool guard Aziaha James made her Unrivaled debut, scoring 9 points along with four assists, three rebounds and two steals in under 14 minutes.
Lunar Owls head coach DJ Sackmann said he had no hesitation about calling up James from the developmental pool. She had impressed him during a preseason game she played with the team, and with the hard work she’s put in to improve her individual skills in the gym and in the weight room.
“She was phenomenal tonight,” Sackmann told reporters. “As you can see, look like she’s in mid-season form. So I’m super proud of her, and I hope she’s proud of herself, because that was a great performance. First time (the) lights are on. So it was great.”
James is using Unrivaled to prepare for her second season in the WNBA, stating that she “should be ready” due to all the strides she’s made.
“It feels good to have the crowd looking out for me and cheering me on,” James said. “It gives me more motivation to just continue to work on myself and just get ready for the next upcoming (thing).”
Despite this game also going down to the wire, the Lunar Owls weren’t able to secure their third win. The Laces defeated the Lunar Owls 74-70 to clinch the league’s first playoff spot.
Saturday games
Saturday’s games featured Rose BC versus Vinyl BC and Phantom BC versus Mist BC.
Rose BC was able to end its losing streak with a 74-66 win over the Vinyl. Rose forward Shakira Austin had a huge performance for her team, securing a double-double with 22 points and 18 rebounds.
Rose BC head coach Nola Henry recognized that Austin made an impact on both ends of the floor, and her defense helped to create offense for the team. Despite their win, Austin is still trying to find consistency in her game this season.
“I need to be able to put four quarters together, whether we have a bench, whether we have subs or not,” Austin said. “I just want to be that consistent, dependable player. And I think that just starts on my defense. I feel like I was losing that a little bit, because the first couple games, I kind of wasn’t getting my easy touches around the rim and (was) just frustrated in my head.
“So now that I kind of got that back down, packed with my efficiency, I have to still remember that I’m a great defensive player, and that sets the tone for the team, and that’s just the anchor that we need and we’ve been searching for. So I just have to be that more.”
In the second game, Phantom BC defeated Mist BC 83-71.
Phantom forward Kiki Iriafen scored 20 points, going 7-for-12 from the floor, and grabbed seven rebounds in the win. Phantom head coach Roneeka Hodges was not surprised that Iriafen had the performance she had, saying she “knew that was coming.” She also noted Iriafen’s growth this season and how she has found joy in coaching Iriafen and helping develop the young player.
“(Iriafen) works hard. She puts the work in. She’s a sponge for information,” Hodges said. “So when you are that type of player, and you have that type of commitment to the game, to yourself and to the team, you have these types of nights. And it came on a perfect night for us.”
Phantom guard Kelsey Plum also had a night for herself, putting up 28 points with seven assists. Plum’s teammates admired how she led their team.
“What I love about KP is she holds herself accountable,” Iriafen told reporters. “She’s our best player, and she doesn’t take any shortcuts, but she also wants me to tell her what can (she) do better. So I think that just says a lot. If our leader is open to having feedback, who am I to complain if somebody else is telling me to do something?”
Monday games
This week, Unrivaled took a break on Super Bowl Sunday and skipped right to Monday. The Monday games featured Phantom BC versus Vinyl BC and Mist BC versus Rose BC.
In the first game, Phantom defeated Vinyl 76-73 in a nail-biter to clinch the second playoff spot, joining Laces BC.
Phantom forward Aliyah Boston had the first 30-point game of her Unrivaled career. She combined with Plum for 63 of the team’s 76 total points.
“It’s grown from the time we became teammates,” Boston said of her chemistry with Plum. “I love KP, seriously. I think she’s pushed me in a different way, and definitely mentally, which I think I needed to grow the most. And so being able to do that this offseason has just been a pleasure for me. But KP is a hard worker. She comes in, she gets extra shots up, she just continues to work. She’s a great communicator, which I love the most, and I think we just continue to build that connection every single time we step on that floor, and so it’s a beauty to see.”
Hodges got emotional during the postgame press conference after her team secured the tough, pivotal win.
“I’m proud,” Hodges said. “I had to get myself together, and I had to … keep my composure to go in there and speak to them because I had so many different emotions. We are playing some good ball right now. We’re peaking. The ghost gang is unbelievable.
“We fought through some adversity. We got down. We weren’t necessarily playing our best basketball, but we never gave up. … So when you put your mind to something, we’re unstoppable. And I think the ghost gang did a good job of persevering today and coming out with that win.”
Despite the loss, Vinyl BC guard Saniya Rivers seemed to mesh seamlessly in her debut with the team. In just four minutes, she had 5 points on 2-for-2 shooting and a block.
“It was good to see her out there playing alongside these young ladies and having fun playing and playing the way that she did,” Vinyl head coach Teresa Weatherspoon told reporters.
In the second game, Mist BC defeated Rose BC 90-64. Ogunbowale scored a season-high 29 points to knock off the reigning champs.
In the second quarter, the Mist took a large lead, more than doubling Rose BC’s points and outscoring them 29-13. The Rose were never able to climb back from the 18-point halftime deficit.
The Mist had a successful night with four players in double figures: Ogunbowale, wing Breanna Stewart, guard Veronica Burton and guard Allisha Gray.
Ogunbowale said that her team was unhappy with how they played on Saturday, which fueled them to play together and come out on top Monday.
Free throw challenge check in
The second free-throw challenge of the season kicked off Jan. 30.
Allisha Gray is currently sitting at the top of the leadboard, having gone a perfect 9-for-9 from the line. Gray’s WNBA teammate, Vinyl BC guard Rhyne Howard, is in second, sitting at 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
There is a three-way tie for third place between Vinyl BC center Brittney Griner, Ogunbowale and Rivers. All three players are 6-for-6.
Unrivaled will play one more full weekend of games before kicking off postseason play on Feb. 28.