Unrivaled is delivering everything it promised! From fast-paced games to big stars going off against each other, this 3v3 tournament has it all. And that’s what we saw in the opening round of recent 1v1 matchups. In a game between rookie Sonia Citron and veteran Marina Mabrey, the Hive BC star, Citron, walked off with an upset that nobody projected coming.

Citron opened the game with a cold-blooded three and a turnaround jumper, which put her in the lead with 5–0. And to give you the idea of how fast everything was, this happened just within 18 seconds.

While Mabrey entered the tournament as one of the best scorers in the field, averaging 26.8 points per game and clawed back with a layup and then drilled two three-pointers to get into a lead with 8–5. Citron was just unwilling to give this game up.

Even after Marina Mabrey pushed the lead to 10–5 with an offensive rebound and finish, Sonia Citron forced tough possessions, earned free throws, as she slowly trimmed the gap to 10–7.

With just over a minute remaining, Citron rose into a clean three and tied the score at 10–10. But this wasn’t a time for a celebration just yet, as for a player to win a game, they had to reach the 11 point mark.

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On the very next possession? Citron sealed the win with a fadeaway jumper

For a player averaging 16.6 points in Unrivaled going against Mabrey, this wasn’t supposed to be in the script. But Citron’s efficiency, 50% from the field, and 40% from deep, translated perfectly into the game. So when the final buzzer sounded, the #3 seed in Pod C was gone.

As the game results went viral, fans flooded social media, roasting Mabrey for losing to a rookie.

Fans Let Marina Mabrey Hear It

Taking to X, one fan wrote, “Imagine losing 1v1 to a rookie in round one, Unrivaled is ruthless.” While another added, “rookie stepping up already 😀 gonna be a fun season to watch!”

With Mabrey eliminated, Pod C suddenly feels unpredictable, as Citron advances to the Second Round and moves one step closer to the $200,000 grand prize. Even if she falls in the semifinals, this is already a deeper run than many expected from the rookie.

More importantly, she’s forced the tournament to take her seriously. And her next test will come against Rae Burrell.

Burrell is a player who brings length, athleticism, and a physical downhill game, which presents a very different challenge from Marina Mabrey’s perimeter-heavy attack. If Citron could neutralize one of the league’s most explosive scorers with patience and timing, now she’ll have to prove she can handle strength and pace.

Furthermore, one fan added, “rookie makin’ waves early, those threes hit different.” Whereas another wrote, “Sonia coming in strong! That opener was 🔥.”

What began on Wednesday night as a 32-player bracket has now been sliced in half with only sixteen players remaining. All 32 players were divided into four position-based pods, and voting determined the seeding from 1 through 8 in each group.

While some higher seeds handled business as projected, others did not. A few favorites were pushed to their limits, and some didn’t survive at all. The one-on-one setting stripped away help defense, rotations, and schemes, leaving pure shot-making, footwork, conditioning, and composure under the spotlight. And those who shine there will shine in the finals of the tournament.

With 16 players advancing to Round 2, the tournament enters its most compelling phase yet. But who will take the six-figure grand prize home? Only time will tell.

One fan summed it up best and wrote, “Unrivaled is doing everything right.”

If Round 1 proved anything, it’s that seeding doesn’t matter when it’s just you, the ball, and the clock. Sonia Citron has already flipped her pod upside down. Now, with Rae Burrell standing in her path, the rookie has a chance to turn one upset into something much bigger.