In their first game back after the FIBA World Cup break, the short-handed Toronto Tempo fought valiantly but ultimately did not have enough in the fourth quarter and lost to the Indiana Fever 103 – 85.
We break down the good, bad, and outlook from this game.
The Good
The Tempo are back! While it was fun to watch World Cup basketball, it feels great to watch the WNBA again. Since the break, we have to give a shout out to Ornella Bankole and Zaay Green who saw their developmental contracts converted to regular contracts, and to the Tempo players and coaches who all did very well in the World Cup tournament.
Ok, now back to the W.
Coming into this game, the Indiana Fever sat at the top of the league in offensive rating, field goal percentage, and 3-point field goal percentage – essentially an offensive juggernaut. We know that the Tempo were not going to beat them with talent, so they had to try to beat them with effort.
For the first half, that is exactly what the Tempo did. The Fever flexed their offensive muscles early with effortless three pointers by Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark, while the Tempo’s offense looked stuck in mud. The Fever started to pull away in the 2nd with a 16-point lead and it certainly looked like this was going to be a long night. Then, the Tempo ended the half with a 16 – 1 run to shrink that deficit to just three points, thanks to key hustle plays, attacking the paint, and getting to the free throw line.
In the third quarter, Izzy Harrison hits a big three to tie the game.
This was immediately followed by Laura Juskaite hitting a midrange jumper (plus a foul) to give the Tempo their first lead of the game.
The Coca Cola Coliseum went wild. We had ourselves a game and what a quarter it was. The short-handed Tempo went toe to toe against the Fever for a long stretch with lots of entertaining back and forth action. The Tempo also found success in the paint by driving right at Mitchell and Clark, and making them work on the defensive end.
While the Fever ultimately pulled away in the fourth quarter thanks to their top end talent, we saw more positives than negatives. This game was a great balanced effort by the starting lineup with four starters scoring double-digits and everyone getting their chance to shine.
The Bad
Unfortunately for the Tempo, once the Fever ratcheted up their defense in the fourth quarter, the Tempo’s offense lacked steam. With Brittney Sykes, Marina Mabrey, Aneesah Morrow, and Maria Conde out and Nyara Sabally dressed but not getting minutes, this outcome was perhaps anticipated. However, for the Tempo to become a more competitive team next season, fourth quarter execution must be addressed.
The missed free throws also did not do the Tempo any favours. In all, they missed 11 of them, going 19 for 30 from the line. The Tempo also did not shoot the 3-ball well and only had 16 assists in the game (to Indiana’s 26). Kiki Rice and Julie Allemand did their part but the rest of the team did not make a concerted effort to make the extra pass.
Give credit to Indiana. Their all-star and likely all-WNBA backcourt of Clark and Mitchell was dynamic and dominant. Whether it’s Clark’s smooth stepback 3, Mitchell’s speedy and agile drives to the basket or their ability to find the Fever shooters for open 3s when the Tempo defenders mustered all that they could to stop their first action (shoutout to Teonni Key’s efforts on Mitchell), it was all very impressive to watch.
The Outlook
For those looking towards the future and have their eyes towards the lottery odds, we can update that the odds have not changed. The Tempo continue to have the second best lottery odds to land the number one pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft (behind Connecticut Sun). We expect this to hold until these two teams meet in the final game of the regular season, which will make for a very interesting one for both teams, especially with it being the last ever game at Mohegan Sun arena before the team moves to Houston.
Up next is the final home game for the Tempo against the New York Liberty. The Tempo fans have been truly amazing this season. Regardless of the outcome, we look to seeing the incredible energy and love that the fans have brought to this inaugural season one more time.