Tianna Hawkins enters Week 3 of Athletes Unlimited basketball as the points leader after a dominant second week in which she rose 14 spots up the leaderboard. As for the other three captains this week, Lexie Brown will look to continue her undefeated streak, while Natasha Cloud and Isabelle Harrison attempt to find some balance.

With games resuming Wednesday, here are three storylines to look out for in Week 3.

Rosters are set and Week 3 is here 🤩

Which team has the best chance of going undefeated? 🤔#BeUnlimited | #AUHoops pic.twitter.com/dH0Ezowvhy

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 6, 2022

Will Tianna Hawkins continue her offensive production?

In the second game against Team Russell last week, Hawkins set a single-game scoring record with 38 points, helping Team Brown to a 98-85 victory. Roughly 24 hours later, she outdid herself, recording 46 points on 20-of-27 shooting from the field. She added 10 rebounds to claim her second MVP 1 honors of the week and lead Team Brown to a 3-0 record.

“It’s just having the hot hand and my teammates did a good job of feeding me the ball both tonight and last night,” Hawkins said.

It was a turnaround from Week 1, in which Hawkins averaged 15.3 points per game. In addition to vaulting from 14th on the AU leaderboard to first, she  now leads the league with 25.2 points per game and is pulling down 8.2 rebounds per game.

But Hawkins’ basketball savvy will be put to the test this week. The lone new captain in Week 3, she will need to prove she can put together a good team to remain the league leader. Outside of standout individual performances, AU places emphasis on team wins, giving out 50 points per quarters won and 100 points per games won.

There’s evidence that she may have done so when drafting her roster on Sunday. Destinee Walker set a single-quarter scoring record this season with 18 points, while Jessica Kuster is well-rounded and currently shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range. Hawkins also selected veteran Sydney Colson and former captain Mercedes Russell, who currently sits seventh on the leaderboard. Hawkins will have to rely on them as much as herself if she wants to make a splash in Week 3.

Does Lexie Brown have a future as a GM?

Throughout Week 2 of the AU season, Lexie Brown showed that not only can she hoop, but she also might just have a career as a general manager one day.

I know it was only a week, but I truly have a future in being a GM 😂🤗

— Lexie Brown (@Lexiebrown) February 6, 2022

Not many expected the performance that Team Brown turned out in Week 2, but Brown was confident in her team’s abilities from the jump. The squad found a balance that worked for them and helped them go undefeated on the week.

“I drafted them for that exact reason,” Brown said last week. “I played with a team that we were super big, I played with a team that we were kind of big, but I didn’t really have any pick-and-pop players, and I think I play best with that with the attention I draw, to be able to kick out to the shooters. And they just have to have confidence to knock it down.”

Brown will look to repeat that performances in Week 3 with a new team. With eight of 11 players on her roster sitting inside of the top 25 on the individual leaderboard, there will be no shortage of talent.

Team Brown will have to contend with the duo of Natasha Cloud and DiJonai Carrington, who have developed strong chemistry through the first two weeks of the season. Team Cloud has also added Essence Carson, who is averaging 12.5 points per game while shooting 50.8 percent.

Isabelle Harrison will return as a captain this week after going 5-1 through the first two weeks. Notably, she drafted Ty Young and held onto Courtney Williams and Odyssey Sims.

Can Taj Cole make the jump to captain?

Will this be the week that Taj Cole vaults into a captain position? The guard amassed 1,064 points in Week 2 to hold onto the No. 5 spot on the leaderboard.

One of four athletes picked up during the Athletes Unlimited tryouts in Atlanta, Cole has already made a splash in AU. Through the first week of play, she averaged 19.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists per game. Last week, the Connecticut Sun signed her to a training camp contract, indicating that AU can serve as a showcase for WNBA teams looking for roster depth.

Opportunity: Secured ✅

After an impressive @AUProSports debut, @TCOLE_0 will be heading to the @ConnecticutSun this season on a training camp contract, sources tell @RachGall. pic.twitter.com/Gup1xoWly5

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) February 2, 2022

Cole followed up Week 1 with an equally productive Week 2, scoring 23 points against Team Russell and dishing out a game-high 12 assists against Team Cloud. Brown and Cole have been a dynamic duo this season, so it came as no surprise that Brown drafted Cole with her first pick on Sunday.

Cole sits 333 points behind Harrison for the fourth and final captain spot, but making the jump is not entirely out of the question. The AU format rewards good performances and consistency, and Cole brings both.

Emma Hruby is an associate editor at Just Women’s Sports.

The USWNT announced their 2025 season finale on Monday, setting a pair of friendlies against Italy at Orlando's Inter & Co Stadium on November 28th and Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on December 1st.

Facing the now-world No. 2 US for the first time in 15 years, Italy's recent run to the 2025 Euro semifinals shot them to No. 12 in the FIFA rankings.

"As we prepare for World Cup qualifying at the end of 2026, we want to play teams from all parts of the world with different styles and different strengths, so getting to play Italy, one of Europe's up-and-coming teams, will be a great way to end the year," said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes in a statement announcing the friendlies.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

After an extended break following a series of early July matchups, the US now has five matches left on the books, with the year-ending Italy matches rounding out three already-announced October friendlies.

The USWNT kicks off next month's lineup with two matches against Euro 2025 participant No. 23 Portugal, followed by a third friendly against No. 33 New Zealand.

As Hayes's year of roster evaluation comes to a close, expect stakes to rise as the 2027 World Cup comes into sharper view.

How to purchase tickets to the final 2025 USWNT friendlies

Though a myriad of presale opportunities are available throughout this week, tickets to both the November 28th match in Orlando and the December 1st friendly in Fort Lauderdale will go on sale to the general public on Friday.

Tickets will drop at 10 AM ET online.

The red-hot No. 2 Las Vegas Aces will hit the court in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs again on Tuesday night, facing off against the No. 7 Seattle Storm in Game 2 of the postseason's first round with an eye on scoring their 18th consecutive victory — and a trip to this year's semifinals.

"You guys celebrate this more than we do," MVP frontrunner A'ja Wilson said, brushing off the team's recent dominance. "The streak stopped in the regular season."

"It's the first to nine wins [for the championship], so that's how we want to approach it," Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon echoed, voicing a renewed focus on retaking the WNBA crown.

Following the league's new home-away-home first-round format, Seattle has the chance to extend their season on their home court on Tuesday night, as the Storm arrives back in market with few answers after suffering a 102-77 Game 1 loss.

"Our fans deserve for us to play well," said Seattle forward Nneka Ogwumike. "We have to figure out how to do it, no matter what. That's going to be the test on Tuesday."

How to watch the Las Vegas Aces vs. Seattle Storm

No. 7 Seattle will try stay alive against No. 2 Las Vegas at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage of Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs airing on ESPN.

With their backs against the wall, the No. 6 Indiana Fever will face down both the No. 3 Atlanta Dream and potential elimination from the 2025 WNBA Playoffs when they host their first home postseason game in nearly a decade on Tuesday night.

"I think you give yourself an edge as the home team. When they punched us, they punched us hard," Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell said after Sunday's 80-68 loss in Atlanta. "So we have to do the same thing."

"I would like to think that being back at home can kind of give us a sense of comfort, so hopefully we could use it for what it's worth and not take it for granted," she continued.

Mitchell will likely be the key to the Fever's survival, after an onslaught of season-ending injuries forced the three-time WNBA All-Star to step up as a scoring leader — with Mitchell dropping a postseason career-high 27 points in Sunday's Game 1.

"It's a lot of little things," said Indiana head coach Stephanie White following the weekend result. "I like where we are, I'm proud of our group for continuing to fight, and we're going to be better on Tuesday."

How to watch Atlanta vs. Indiana in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

No. 6 Indiana will tip off against No. 3 Atlanta in Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.

WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne is returning to the court, with USA Basketball announcing on Monday that the two-time league MVP will join the 3×3 Women's National Team as its first-ever managing director.

The 36-year-old officially retired in April 2025 after struggling with injuries, capping a career that spanned winning gold at the 2016 Olympics and the 2018 FIBA World Cup with Team USA as well as two WNBA championships.

"Elena has been a member of the USA Basketball family for almost 15 years," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in Monday's press release. "Her wealth of knowledge of the sport of basketball and our organization will be an asset as we continue our journey."

As part of her duties, Delle Donne will be responsible for selecting the USA Basketball 3x3 team's coaching staff and players prior to the 2028 LA Olympics, the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, and other major international competitions.

"USA Basketball was an important part of my on-court career for a decade and a half. To have the opportunity to continue my journey with the organization, and to help shape and grow the 3x3 program, is something that I take very seriously," Delle Donne said. "I'm excited to get started."

Delle Donne's new position is the 3x3 version of fellow WNBA icon Sue Bird's role, as the newly minted Hall of Famer became the managing director of the USA Basketball women's 5x5 arm in May.

"To now think that I'm going to be on the other side of the phone letting someone know that their dream has come true and they've made the team is going to be such a fulfilling, full circle moment for me," Delle Donne said.