The North Carolina Courage are heading to the Challenge Cup semifinals after playing to a 2-2 draw with the Washington Spirit on Saturday.

The Courage clinched the East Division with 12 points, while the Spirit finished in second with 10 and await their playoff fate.

The second-place team with the most points will join the three Division champions in the Challenge Cup semifinals. Washington could secure that spot if the Portland Thorns fail to earn points in their match against Angel City on Sunday night.

They're in 👏@TheNCCourage punch their ticket to the 2022 #NWSLChallengeCup semifinals as the winners of the East Division ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/1zZvmb78nB

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 23, 2022

The Spirit and the Courage each came out strong on Saturday, with their attacks pressing from the starting whistle.

The Spirit notched the breakthrough goal in the 15th minute, when Ashley Hatch capitalized on an error by the North Carolina defense to put her side up 1-0.

Hammered home by @ash_hatch33 🔨@WashSpirit | #ONESPIRIT pic.twitter.com/e1uGIHPDIs

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 23, 2022

Debinha converted a penalty kick just before the break to send the Courage into halftime tied 1-1.

Tucked home by @Debinha7 🤌@TheNCCourage | #CourageUnitesUs pic.twitter.com/agelA5r7cs

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 23, 2022

North Carolina got on the scoreboard again in the 52nd minute courtesy of Malia Berkley. The defender sent a rocket from outside the 18-yard box into the upper left corner for her first NWSL goal.

Marking her first #NWSL goal in style 😱

A rocket from @millib13 🚀@TheNCCourage | #CourageUnitesUs pic.twitter.com/QCnBr5PB8H

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 23, 2022

The hosts had a chance to extend their lead in the 72nd minute when they were awarded their second penalty kick of the game. Goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe made the save against Debinha to keep the Spirit in the match.

The Brick Wall as we know it 🧱@AubreyBledsoe | @WashSpirit pic.twitter.com/f9qzmoOp5l

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 23, 2022

Awarded a penalty kick of their own in the 75th minute, the Spirit turned to Ashley Hatch, who slotted it in for the late equalizer.

The equalizer courtesy of @ash_hatch33✨@WashSpirit | #ONESPIRIT pic.twitter.com/SUzZRotzRi

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) April 23, 2022

The 2-2 draw was enough to send the Courage through to the semifinals, while the rest of the weekend’s results determine if the Spirit move on.

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.

Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo collapsed on the pitch during an NWSL match against the Seattle Reign on Sunday, with the late first-half medical event causing the teams to postpone the remainder of the game.

Cameras quickly cut away as trainers and medical personnel rushed to DeMelo's side and players cleared the field for an early halftime, with both sides soon announcing they were abandoning the then-scoreless match as an ambulance took DeMelo to a local hospital.

Racing later notified fans via social media that DeMelo was "stable and alert," while several reporters noted that the 27-year-old recently received a diagnosis of Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism — conditions that can cause an irregular or rapid heartbeat.

"I'm lucky to have my family with me while I'm waiting for test results to come back," DeMelo said in a club statement late Monday. "I'm extremely thankful to our whole medical staff for the quick response. They've been with me every step of the way."

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NWSL decision to postpone play addresses past criticisms

DeMelo's situation is the second major medical event this NWSL season, following the mid-match collapse of Angel City defender Savy King in May.

At that time, the NWSL opted to continue play after an ambulance transported King off the pitch — a decision that the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) heavily criticized.

In the aftermath of that match, league commissioner Jessica Berman promised that games would not continue in any similar future situations — a shift reflected in the halting of Sunday's clash.

"Postponing the match was the right decision, as nothing is more important than the safety of players and staff on the field," the NWSLPA wrote on Monday. "This is a challenging time for all those affected, and we ask for continued respect of everyone's privacy."

"We recognize the concern this incident may cause, particularly in light of recent conversations around player safety," the league said in a statement. "The NWSL remains committed to ensuring that the highest standards of medical care and emergency response are in place at every match."

Beginning with second-half play, the conclusion of the currently 0-0 match between Racing Louisville and the Seattle Reign will be played without fans at 8 PM ET on Tuesday, though the game will be available to stream live on Paramount+ and NWSL+.

Paige Bueckers is the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, the league announced early Tuesday, as the Dallas Wings guard becomes the fifth consecutive No. 1 draft pick to win the award.

Bueckers is the first Wings player to earn the honor since Allisha Gray in 2017, finishing the 2025 season averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game and shooting 47.4% from the field.

The 23-year-old was the only player this season to finish in the Top 10 league-wide in points, assists, and steals per game — all while becoming the fastest rookie in WNBA history to notch 500 points and 100 assists.

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While the conversation around the Class of 2025 included several high performers, the Rookie of the Year vote proved to be near unanimous, with Bueckers receiving 70 of the sports media panel's 72 votes.

The remaining two votes went to Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron.

While the race tightened as Citron heated up mid-season, Bueckers's August 20th rookie-record 44-point performance against the LA Sparks likely shut the door to any challengers.

"I know that we continue to do things the right way, we continue to believe in each other, continue to invest our whole lives into this basketball thing, the results will come," Bueckers told reporters after Dallas ended the season with a 10-34 record — securing the highest odds for next year's No. 1 draft pick.