The opening day of Unrivaled’s 1 vs 1 tournament had much to deliver. Veterans Breanna Stewart and Chelsea Gray would fail by massive margins while rookies found themselves in the spotlight. The pace and intensity even had fans demanding a similar format for NBA All-Star. In the mix, Indiana Fever would end up catching the heat too, thanks to Kahleah Copper and Rhyne Howard.

Of the eight advancing to the second round, the Pheonix Mercury star was the 3rd. She had to defeat 2023 ROTY Aliyah Boston to secure her spot and well, she dominated.

Despite her four-inch height advantage, Copper’s elite scoring ability and relentless pace proved too much to handle for the Fever star. Boston, a key player for Stephanie White’s roster soon, struggled to find her rhythm, raising eyebrows over her conditioning as she appeared fatigued in the final minutes. “NEWS: Kahleah Copper tops Aliyah Boston, 11-6, in the Unrivaled League’s 1v1 tournament! ????✨” — I Talk Hoops grabbed the moment on X.

Boston finished with 2-of-10 from the field, 1-of-1 from free throw, and 8 rebounds for an 11-6 defeat. But she wasn’t the only one delivering a blow for the Fever.

Lexie Hull too failed to match her opponent Rhyne Howard’s scoring. While she did put up the most points (7) by anyone on the losing end for the night, it did not prove enough to overcome fellow third-year’s shooting and defense. The Dream guard recorded two blocks and 12 rebounds after struggling to find her shot initially. She walked away 12-7. 

For a team finding itself in ‘championship contender’ talks for the next campaign, this wasn’t a pretty picture. Moreover, the two find themselves with poorer scoring averages in the league too, with 6.5 and 6.1, respectively. Head coach Stephanie White has been vocal about her optimism for the Fever’s upcoming season, especially praising Boston and Hull for their energy and readiness. “And then you have Aliyah Boston on the interior… and Lexie Hull from an energy standpoint and knocking down shots, they’re playing really confident basketball,” the head coach had said as she joined her new team.

While Unrivaled is telling another story, Boston and White have vested confidence in each other. The foundation is looking strong per the new coach and she is building around her young core.

Stephanie White is confident in Aliyah Boston

Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, and Aliyah Boston made the popular three-headed monster of the Fever last season. Sure, the former two’s combination makes quite the noise with a dangerous backcourt duo, but if you ask Stephanie White, she’d let you know, the point guard and center combination is just as important.

“These two are the best… And when you think about the point guards and post players that, our game — not just our league, but our game — has seen, they are going to go down in history as the greatest,” she says. Boston averaged 14 points and 8.9 rebounds last season and is now ready to get to work under White. She vouches for the intensity and her response to the trust the new coach has in Fever’s talents.

But once she gets back to the court, Boston will have new pieces to work with. Over the course of the Unrivaled so far, the team has added DeWanna Bonner, Sophie Cunningham, Natasha Howard, and Sydney Colson. Caitlin Clark believes this has been a good move, expressing excitement over a lot of different options to do a lot of different things. White has been clear about her foundation in CC, Boston, and Mitchell. It remains to be seen if the rest of the puzzel fit together.