Rose BC’s title defense starts now.
The inaugural Unrivaled champions open the season on Monday with a matchup against the Lunar Owls BC, one of eight teams that make up the 3-on-3 league created by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Rose BC returns all but two players from its championship roster, including Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Lexie Hull and Azurá Stevens, and are in prime position to make another title run.
They’ll have to go through the Lunar Owls, who are looking for revenge. The team finished ahead of the standings and earned the No. 1 overall seed heading into the playoffs last season, but were upset in the semifinals by the Vinyl BC. The Lunar Owls will be without 2025 league MVP Napheesa Collier who has to have surgery on both ankles.
‘We didn’t win it, so we want to win. I’m not going to lie,’ Lunar Owls’ Skylar Diggins told USA TODAY Sports. The Lunar Owls are rounded out by Aaliyah Edwards, Rachel Banham, Rebecca Allen, Temi Fagbenle and Marina Mabrey, a fellow Notre Dame alumna Diggins joked she’s ‘happy I don’t have to play against.’
Here’s everything you need to know about Monday’s matchup between Rose BC and Lunar Owls BC:
Halftime: Rose 52, Lunar Owls 27
Rose BC guard Chelsea Gray exploded in the second quarter, scoring 12 of her 16 points in the seven-minute frame to extend Rose BC’s lead to 26 points at halftime. Gray is shooting 6-of-7 from the field including 4-of-5 from 3. She also has five assists and two rebounds. Aaliyah Edwards has 15 points for the Lunar Owls, who are 0-of-7 from 3.
Marina Mabrey, Sug Sutton exchange shoves
Tensions appeared to boil over as the Rose led 52-24 with 29.8 seconds remaining in the second quarter. As Lunar Owl’s Marina Mabrey was bringing the ball up the court, she made contact with Rose’s Sug Sutton. A frustrated Mabrey shoved Sutton and was pushed back by Sutton and Shakira Austin. A common foul was called on Sutton, while Mabrey, Sutton and Austin were all assessed technical fouls.
Napheesa Collier on CBA: ‘We’re not going to back down’
Napheesa Collier, co-owner of Unrivaled and Vice President of the WNBPA, said the players are ‘standing firm in what they believe in’ ahead of the impending WNBA CBA deadline on Friday, Jan 9.
‘You’ve just heard a lot of chatter about what we’re asking for is not sustainable for the business. Being on this side with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business,’ Collier said during Monday’s broadcast. ‘I think if (the WNBA) can’t find a model that makes it happen, they need to put people in place who can, because we’ve proven that it is possible. There is a way and we’re thriving in that. And so I do think a deal’s going to get done, but we’re standing firm in what we believe in. We’re not going to back down and we can’t take less. The sport has just grown too much. It’d be a disservice to the people who came before us.’
End of Q1: Rose BC 25, Lunar Owls BC 9
Rose BC jumped to a 5-0 lead over the Lunar Owls and didn’t look back. Rose has a 21-7 lead after the first quarter, with 10 points and seven rebounds coming from Azurá Stevens. Shakira Austin added eight points and Chelsea Gray four points. Rose outrebounded the Lunar Owls 13-9, including five offensive rebounds that led to second chance points. The Lunar Owls have got off to a shaky start, shooting 4-of-14 from the field and 0-of-5 from the 3-point line. Aaliyah Edwards has all seven of the Lunar Owls’ nine points.
What time is Rose BC vs. Lunar Owls?
Rose BC opens the season against the Lunar Owls BC at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 5 at Sephora Arena in Miami.
Rose BC vs. Lunar Owls: TV, streaming
Date: Monday, Jan. 5
Time: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
Location: Sephora Arena (Miami)
TV: TNT, Tru TV
Stream: Fubo, HBO Max
Lunar Owls BC starting lineup
Starters: Marina Mabrey, Aaliyah Edwards, Rebecca Allen
Is Napheesa Collier playing in Unrivaled?
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier will miss the 2026 Unrivaled season and is in jeopardy of missing the start of the WNBA season as well. Last week, ESPN reported Collier needs surgery on both ankles, which is expected to sideline her for 4-6 months. After consultation with her medical staff, the WNBA All-Star is reportedly scheduled to have the procedure next week in New York.
‘I am heartbroken to share that I will miss this Unrivaled season,’ Collier wrote in an Instagram post. ‘I have fought hard over the last few months to be back with my [Lunar] Owls and was devastated to be told by my team of doctors that surgery was the best path forward. I will still be cheering on my teammates every step of the way, and I will continue to work relentlessly with the rest of the players and our staff to push our sport forward and raise the bar for women’s basketball.’ — Meghan Hall
Lunar Owls BC injury report
Skylar Diggins (right lower extremity) and Napheesa Collier (lower extremity) were both ruled out.
Rose BC starting lineup
Starters: Lexie Hull, Chelsea Gray, Azurá Stevens
Rose BC injury report
Kahleah Copper (right lower extremity) has been ruled out for Monday.
Rose BC championship ceremony
Unrivaled took time to stop and smell the roses on Monday with a championship ceremony for the inaugural champions. The 2025 Rose BC squad of Naz Hillmon, Kahleah Copper, Brittney Sykes, Azurá Stevens, Lexie Hull and Chelsea Gray, who was accompanied by her son Lennox, reunited on the court Monday at Sephora Arena.
Each member of the team was gifted a bouquet of roses before watching a special highlight reel together. Afterwards, Unrivaled’s first-ever championship banner was unveiled. Angel Reese and Natisha Hiedeman weren’t present for the ceremony, but received applause from the crowd.
Skylar Diggins says Unrivaled sets example to follow
Skylar Diggins didn’t know what to expect when she signed on for the inaugural season of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. She anxiously headed down to Miami last January, her two children in tow. What she found was a community made ‘for us, by us.’
Lunar Owls roster
Head coach: DJ Sackmann
Skylar Diggins
Marina Mabrey
Temi Fagbenle
Rachel Banham
Rebecca Allen
Aaliyah Edwards
(Temi Fagbenle replaces Napheesa Collier, who will miss the 2026 season following ankle surgery)
Rose BC roster
Head coach: Nola Henry
Chelsea Gray
Kahleah Copper
Sug Sutton
Azurá Stevens
Lexie Hull
Shakira Austin
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