The Toronto Tempo won the franchise’s first overtime game, 106-102, in a topsy turvy nail biter against the Connecticut Sun.
We break down the good, bad, and outlook from the game.
The Good
Things were not looking good for the Tempo in the first half. The Sun exercised a brilliant game plan, using their clear size advantage to perfection by dumping the ball into the post to Olivia Nelson-Ododa(ONO) or Aaliyah Edwards to dominate in the paint or kick it out for a 3. On the defensive side, ONO and Regan Beers, made it hard for the Tempo to get anything in the paint.
In the 3rd quarter, however, the energy in the arena shifted thanks to the Tempo’s disruptive defense – poking balls away from passes and drives – leading to fast break points.
With 5:42 left in 3rd, Beers went over top of Isabelle Harrison for a rebound. Izzy fought back and Beers ending up with a loose ball foul, sending Izzy to the line in the bonus. While Izzy only hit 1 of 2, the Tempo got the offensive rebound on the second missed free throw and Mabrey hit a logo 3. Next possession, Mabrey hit another 3 and the Coca Cola coliseum erupted in euphoria with the lead down to 2.
And yet, every time the Tempo threatened to get the lead, the Sun responded by getting to the line or a crucial 3-pointer, including two from Saniya Rivers who has been shooting 19% from the 3-point line this season.
But, from there, Brittney Sykes took her game to a whole new level. At one point, the Tempo seemed to have run out of ideas and just ran clear-outs for Slim. Did it work every time? No, but did it work enough? Absolutely!
Give the Sun lots of credit for responding at every turn. In particular Edwards and Leila Lacan who had monster 4th quarters and ONO who took the air out of the arena with every free throw.
On the Tempo side, in addition to the big scorers, we have to shout out the impact that Laura Juškaitė had, making impact plays that added up.
With two minutes left in the 4th, the Tempo saw a massive call overturned from a Mabrey defensive foul to an illegal screen by ONO. Shortly after, ONO was called for her sixth foul, leading to more free throws for the Tempo, to tie the game. We will admit that both calls were questionable (as were others). Nevertheless, this was a massive turning point in the game that sent it into overtime. From there, the Tempo’s million-dollar backcourt led the team to a huge comeback victory.
Finally, this was my first Tempo game being able to watch at the Coca Cola Coliseum and it was easily a 10/10 experience. The atmosphere is electric. The fans are loving this team. The vibes were immaculate.
The Bad
In many ways, this game felt like the worst-case scenario for Toronto’s smaller front court (without Temi Fagbenle). The Sun collected 18 offensive rebounds and got their hands on plenty more, and used their size to bully us, even with BG on the bench.
Despite these persistent size and rebounding issues the Tempo persevered.
Solving these issues without the return of Temi or adding more size to the roster isn’t straightforward. However, we are reminded of Gilbert Ngabo’s piece about this exact issue after a recent win over the Chicago Sky. In that piece, Coach Brondello said,
“I know we’re undersized, but it just means everyone has to get in there and help, not just the bigs. It’s a mentality, a mindset to get in there”
This game was another good reminder of what the Tempo need to establish to be able to hold their own in this league.
The Outlook
Next up, the Tempo head on the road to play the Washington Mystics. While the Mystics are young, they already have some impressive talent such as 2025 WNBA all stars, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Irafen.
This team also features a front court full of size and strength, including Shakira Austin and Lauren Betts, and the Mystics will be smart to execute a similar game plan as what the Sun did tonight.
The Tempo will have to bring that physical mindset to ensure that they don’t get bullied on the boards again on Friday.