2 weeks Ago By Sportsnet Staff
If beating MVPs at their game is a good sign, then Aaliyah Edwards is certainly on track to greatness. The Canadian forward, who currently plays for the Washington Mystics in the WNBA, absolutely demolished two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart one-on-one in the new Unrivaled League on Monday night. If you thought the Eagles win over the Chiefs in the Super Bowl was a beatdown, Edwards showed that there are levels to this, dusting Stewart to the tune of a 12-0 sweep in the first round of the league's 1-on-1 tournament.
The final showdown of Round 1 of the tournament pitted the two UConn alums and now-Mist teammates against one another, with the 30-year-old Stewart ranked as a No. 1 seed and the 22-year-old Edwards ranked No. 8 in their corner of the bracket.
The Kingston, Ont. native got to work right away, taking her spot in the corner, sizing up Stewart, then nailing the corner triple after a couple jab steps. After getting the ball back near the half-court line, she broke down the six-time All-Defensive selection to get to her spot by the elbow then nailed the pull-up middy to build a 5-0 lead.
In the ensuing possession, she put her body into Stewart and drove to the basket for a banked-in layup over the outstretched arms of the six-foot-four Stewart, cementing a 7-0 lead in the process. She used that physicality again, driving from the corner and showing some soft touch on the reverse for a 9-0 lead. With the duel all but over, Edwards showed off the range, draining a three from the wing off a nasty step-back to call it a night while Stewart walked off with a donut beside her name.
After crushing Stewart, Edwards moved on to the second round of the tournament, where she'll get a night off with a bye. She was originally slated to face off against the winner of a matchup between Marina Mabrey and Kate Martin, but both hoopers pulled out. Both Edwards and Stewart play for the Mist as part of their time in Unrivaled.
Also on the team are DiJonai Carrington of the Dallas Wings, Courtney Vandersloot of the Chicago Sky, Jewell Loyd of the Las Vegas Aces and Rickea Jackson of the Los Angeles Sparks. 30 players from across the WNBA are taking part in Unrivaled's 1-on-1 tournament. The winner will receive $200,000, the clubmates of the winner will receive $10,000 each, the runner-up will get $50,000 and the two semi-finalists will receive $25,000 each.
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