Thanks to a career night from Brittney Sykes, the Toronto Tempo got their first franchise road win against the LA Sparks. This was a definitive win where the Tempo controlled most of the game. The fact that they avenged their loss on the first of this back-to-back matchup with the Sparks made the win even sweeter.
We delve into the good, the bad, and the outlook from the game!
The Good
Any talk about the positives from this game begins and ends with Brittney Sykes (also known as Slim). Throughout the game, Slim controlled the Tempo’s halfcourt offense with her drives past the first line of defense then probing and prodding to find advantages using an array of differing speeds, mid-range shots, and, of course, her patented drives.
Slim was the clear star of the game and reached a new career high of 38 points. Congratulations to Slim!
The second standout player from the game was rookie Kiki Rice. Rice got her first WNBA start replacing the injured Julie Allemand and proceeded to play the entire game with intention and physicality. Her drives to the basket were beautiful to watch as she found the right speed and angle for her layups. In less than a handful of games, Rice has gone from looking like a rookie to a contributor on this team. We couldn’t be more excited for her future.
We also have to give a shout out to the Tempo’s depth. In spite of injuries to key players, we continue to see the bench step up. Building off of her showing in the last game against the Sparks, Kia Nurse once again demonstrated that she can help to stabilize the team and make key contributions in limited minutes, including hitting two 3’s and guarding Cam Brink with strength and gusto.
In the second half, Teonni Key showed out with her smart and energetic defense and rebounding.
Unlike the first game against the Sparks, the entire Tempo team played with far more poise. This was instantly noticeable with their vastly improved start to the game. In the 3rd quarter, the Sparks made a run to close the gap on the score and the flow of the game started to get more nerve wracking for the Tempo. They weathered the storm, then closed it out in the 4th quarter by taking the wind out of LA’s sails by going bucket-for-bucket with the Sparks until Sykes ultimately took over.
The Bad
Yes, we admit it. There were a LOT of fouls and a lot of free throws in the game.This early trend of tight WNBA officiating has been worrisome.
There was also a noticeable disparity in free throws (42 for Toronto, 30 for LA) between the two teams. That said, the Sparks were caught playing lazy defense on multiple occasions which led to them fouling the Tempo. So, we’ll take it!
This was also the second game where Marina Mabrey was pretty quiet offensively (by her standards), going 2 for 7 shooting and barely played in the 4th quarter. We’re not worried. We’re just monitoring this.
Another early trend we have noticed is that Slim is averaging 3 turnovers per game this season. Last season, she ranked seventh in average turnovers. With a team that has a few ball handlers, we do wonder if adjustments can be made to curb this trend.
The Outlook
Tonight, the Tempo continue their road trip and play the Phoenix Mercury. While the Mercury exceeded all expectations last season and reached the WNBA championship, the team has also been through a significant change in the roster, losing Satou Sabally (their 2nd leading scorer from last season) to free agency and some of their depth pieces, including Lexi Held, Kat Laksa, Haley Jones. They also lost Kathryn Westbeld this season due to being out with a torn ACL and last year’s breakout rookie, Monique Akoa Makani, is currently out due to an overseas commitment.
However, the Mercury have a knack for finding diamonds overseas. Already, newcomer Jovana Nogic – an undrafted guard from Serbia – has been absolutely lighting it up, averaging 16 points a game and shooting 65% from 3.
Meanwhile, Alyssa Thomas continues to show that she is thriving as Phoenix’s hub for the offense with her exceptional ability to pass and score in the post.
The Tempo continue to wrestle with frontcourt injuries. Isabelle Harrison, Temi Fagbenle, and Nyara Sabally will not be playing this game. On the backcourt, Julie Allemand continues to be out.
We are already sounding like a broken record, but containing damage by Phoenix’s bigs, especially Alyssa Thomas, will make or break this game. Without three of our bigs, Tempo fans that got frustrated with LA’s ‘deep seals’ leading to easy buckets may see even more of that tonight by Alyssa Thomas. The Tempo will have to dig deep and hustle even harder for rebounds or else it might be a long night.