Rose vs Vinyl: The Intense 3-on-3 Final That Made History
Miami, FL – The Unrivaled women’s 3-on-3 league just wrapped up its first season, and Rose is walking away as the inaugural champions. It wasn’t easy, but they pulled off a 62-54 win over Vinyl in a game full of grit, skill, and determination. The Rose vs Vinyl showdown kept fans on the edge of their seats until the very last play. The final moments belonged to Brittney Sykes, who drew a foul, sank the free throw, and locked in the historic win.
Sykes, still buzzing after the game, revealed she and coach Nola Henry had actually practiced that exact situation before. “We worked on this in practice,” Sykes said with a smile. “It just came down to executing in the moment.”
The moment almost got the best of her, though. “I was lightheaded—I think I was just cheering for Chelsea [Gray] too much,” she joked.
Chelsea Gray: The Heart of a Champion
If there was one player who embodied the spirit of this win, it was Chelsea Gray. She finished with 18 points and eight assists, earning Playoff MVP honors. But it wasn’t just about stats—Gray came into this league with something to prove. After a tough WNBA season, she had a chip on her shoulder and a point to make.
“Hell yeah, I was motivated,” Gray said. “Last year was rough. People thought I was back at 100%, but I wasn’t. I put in the work, I did my job, and now? Now I get to talk about it. Competing, making my teammates better—that’s what I do. And hey, that $50K prize money didn’t hurt either.”
That $50,000 payout was just the cherry on top. Every player on the winning team walked away with the bonus, plus what Unrivaled says is the highest average salary in women’s team sports—on top of getting equity in the league.
Gray had an explosive 39-point game in the semifinals, but Monday night, her focus shifted to making plays. Even though her shots weren’t falling (7-of-22 from the field), she controlled the tempo and kept her team moving.
Azura Stevens Steps Up in Angel Reese’s Absence
With Angel Reese out for the second straight game due to a left-hand injury, the pressure was on Azura Stevens to hold it down in the paint. And she delivered—big time. Stevens finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds, proving she was ready for the moment.
The chemistry between Gray and Stevens was on full display. Vinyl tried to slow Gray down by throwing double teams at her, but Gray wasn’t rattled. At one point, she caught Stevens’ eye, signaled for a cut, and then dropped a slick no-look pass over her shoulder for an easy bucket.
“That’s Point Gawd sh*t right there,” Stevens said, hyping up Gray at the postgame press conference.
Gray, in turn, gave all the credit to her teammate. “I knew they were going to double me, so I told Z, ‘If you roll, I’ll find you every time.’ And she did. She was huge for us—running into screens, staying active, and being ready for the pass.”
Stevens knew she had to step up, especially without Reese on the floor. “We all had to do more,” she said. “I had to be aggressive, crash the boards, and make my presence felt. We weren’t going to let Angel’s absence be an excuse.”
Source: Rose win Unrivaled’s first women’s 3-on-3 title over Vinyl
Bet Against Us: Big Mistake.
Rose’s road to the championship was anything but smooth. They had injury setbacks all season, with key player Kahleah Copper missing the last five weeks due to a leg injury. At one point, their record sat at 1-4, and people started counting them out.
Coach Nola Henry remembers it well. “We saw the stuff people were saying about us,” she said. “Kah sent me a screenshot of a post trashing us, and we printed it out, stuck it on the locker room wall. That became our fuel.”
The message was clear—no one believed in them. But they didn’t need outside validation.
“We knew who we were,” Copper said. “We knew what we were capable of. And guess what? We did it. First-ever champions. What’s there to say now?”
Unrivaled’s Unique Format Brings the Heat
The league’s structure adds an exciting twist to the game. Instead of four timed quarters, Unrivaled games have three seven-minute quarters, followed by a fourth quarter where a target score is set—11 points higher than the leading team’s total at the start of the final period.
For Monday’s game, the magic number was 62. Gray played a key role in closing it out, first hitting a midrange jumper to bring Rose to 57. Then, after Stevens grabbed a huge defensive rebound, Gray hit another tough shot just inside the three-point line to make it 59.
That’s when Sykes delivered the knockout punch. She attacked the basket, absorbed contact, and completed the and-1 play to hit the final score of 62, officially securing the title.
The Future of Unrivaled is Bright
The success of this first season proves that women’s basketball has a hungry audience beyond the traditional 5-on-5 format. With high salaries, prize money, and player equity, Unrivaled is setting a new standard for women’s team sports.
And for Rose? They’ve set the blueprint. Against all odds, they battled through injuries, slow starts, and doubters to claim the first-ever Unrivaled championship. Now, they’ve etched their names in history, and their journey is just getting started.
“What did we do?” Copper shouted to her teammates after the game. “No. 1, that’s what we did.”
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