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  • Tempo vs Liberty Game Report – September 20, 2026

    Tempo vs Liberty Game Report – September 20, 2026

    Even with a lopsided final score, the roof at Coca-Cola Coliseum nearly came off one last time. In front of another sold-out crowd on fan appreciation day, the Toronto Tempo dropped their regular-season home finale to the New York Liberty 106-69. This marked the Liberty’s first visit to Coca-Cola Coliseum, following Toronto’s earlier win against them at the Centre Bell in Montreal.

    Let’s break down the good, the bad, and the outlook. 

    The Good

    Let’s take a moment to shout out the fans who have supported this team with passion, pride and unwavering loyalty all season!

    Toronto had plenty to celebrate in this final home stand, and once again, over 8,200 fans showed up to fill the building with the exact same energy and enthusiasm they’ve brought all year, regardless of the standings. Right from tip-off, the atmosphere was electric—fans were on their feet, driving defensive chants and roaring after every hustle play. First never fades, and Canada is fully committed to this franchise!

    Fueled by the energy of the crowd, the Tempo got on the glass early and attacked the rim with an aggressive mindset. However, a veteran Liberty squad came out scorching, knocking down 6 of their first 9 three-pointers to jump ahead early.

    The second quarter turned into a rookie masterclass for Toronto. Kiki Rice entered the game holding strong at 5th in WNBA rookie scoring, continuing to build an undeniable case for All-Rookie team honors by putting up 17 points in the first half alone. Meanwhile, the versatile and reliable Laura Juškaitė added 12 points in the half en route to a career-high 28-point performance. Both rookies showed supreme confidence, getting downhill and embracing contact for tough finishes against elite interior defenders.

    Rice and Juškaitė have shown incredible growth and resilience in their debut WNBA seasons. Even as the losses piled up down the stretch, these rookies kept rising—battling with a smile and grit that makes the future of this franchise look exceptionally bright. (Not even a cut to the lip could slow Juškaitė down today.)

    The Bad

    Ending the first half down 8 felt like a great place to be for the Tempo. They had weathered the hot shooting of the Liberty in the first quarter and turned defensive stops into easy transition buckets in the second.

    Unfortunately, this is where New York decided to turn things up a notch, motivated by their hunt for a chance to host the opening round of the playoffs. Breanna Stewart, the 2026 FIBA World Cup MVP, proved to be an unsolvable puzzle all game, pouring in 27 points in just 22 minutes. Her six points in the opening five minutes pushed Stewart past Cappie Pondexter’s 6,811 points into eighth place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list.

    The Liberty did a great job of spreading the floor and finding open shooters. They finished the day with 16 3-pointers making it hard for the Tempo to lock down the perimeter players while worrying about players like Stewie down low. Rebecca Allen added 14 points off the bench, and Jonquel Jones chipped in 11.

    A blistering 33-point third quarter from New York ultimately dashed Toronto’s hopes of a home-court upset, but the scoreboard couldn’t quiet the crowd. As the final buzzer sounded, the faithful rose to their feet for a standing ovation lasting well over a minute—a fitting tribute to the team and an unforgettable inaugural season. While basketball fans and nerds like us can get caught up in the wins and losses of the season, the Tempo fans never wavered in the love and support they poured into this franchise from the jump. Let’s take a moment to let this sink in one more time. Canada has a WNBA team and it is here to stay!

    Outlook

    While the home slate has come to a close, the Toronto Tempo still have two final battles on the road to wrap up year one. Up next is a trip to the Windy City on Tuesday, September 22, where the Tempo will have a shot at completing a 3-game regular-season sweep against the Sky. In their previous meeting on June 7, Toronto claimed an 85-68 win, and tonight’s gritty stretches proved this squad will fight right down to the final whistle.

    Of course, we would be remiss not to check in on the 2027 lottery odds and its implications for this game. Currently, the Tempo continue to have the second-best odds of landing the number one pick in the 2027 WNBA draft. Chicago currently has the third-best odds; however, because of a previous trade for Ariel Atkins, they owe this pick to the Washington Mystics (considering how good the Mystics already are, that is a scary thought). In other words, the Sky would not be coming into this game looking to lose.

  • Tempo vs Liberty Game Report – July 12, 2026

    Tempo vs Liberty Game Report – July 12, 2026

    The Toronto Tempo snapped their four-game losing skid, beating the New York Liberty 93 – 91, in a thrilling game that treated fans in Montreal to plenty of emotions and drama. 

    We break down the good, bad, comedic, and outlook from this game.

    The Good

    This was an all around great team effort on both ends of the court. In the first half, while the Liberty started with a very big and tall lineup, it was the Tempo that fought for rebounds on the defensive end and hit their 3-point shots on the offensive end.

    In contrast to the first meeting between the two teams when the Liberty shot 14 of 32 from the 3-point line to the Tempo’s 6 of 19, the Liberty only shot 19% from 3 this time around and 43% overall. Meanwhile, the Tempo shot much better, 38% from 3 and 52% overall.

    Special shout out to Laura Juškaitė who chipped in 18 points (after her 25-point game against the Wings), shooting 7 of 8, or 88% from the field. Not only did she hit her 3’s, she also brilliantly posted up New York’s smaller guards and found lots of success in the paint. We know the Tempo’s offense works best when they are hitting their 3’s, but their offense really hums when players like Juškaitė also find success scoring the ball in the paint.

    And, of course, we have to give the biggest shout out to the Tempo’s all-star, Marina Mabrey, who dazzled once again scoring 30 points. From logo 3’s to post-ups to driving layups, Mabrey showcased her entire offensive bag to fans at the Bell Centre. 

    The Tempo also took full advantage of the Liberty’s lackadaisical defense, turning the Libs over time and time again to get into the Tempo’s potent transition offense. The Tempo had 28 fast break points to only two for the Liberty. 

    Finally, when the game got really tight, we have to give kudos to the late game heroics of Nyara Sabally, who made a brilliant cut to the basket for a layup to give the Tempo a 93 – 91 lead then played clean and solid defense on two-time MVP and recent Commissioner’s Cup MVP Breanna Stewart during the last possession of the game to seal the victory. 

    The Bad

    Unfortunately, this game ended up being too close for comfort. As has been the case of late, the Tempo were victims to another 4th quarter comeback. 

    Even though the Tempo were leading the Liberty by 16 points at the start of the quarter, New York adapted well in the 4th by full court pressing the ball handler as soon as the Tempo inbounded the ball. This pressurized defence slowed the Tempo down and threw off their offensive rhythm.

    Give the Liberty credit. Their defensive scheme worked cutting the lead and giving them a chance to win or tie with 10 seconds left. The Tempo managed to avoid another fourth quarter disappointment, thanks to stellar team defense and late-game heroics on both ends by Sabally.

    We do have to acknowledge that the Liberty have only won two of their last eight games. The Tempo did not see this Liberty team at their best. However, the Tempo were the better team for most of this game and deserved the win. 

    The Comedic

    Okay, we have to talk about shoe gate. For anyone who hasn’t watched this, you HAVE to go back and watch this game on WNBA League Pass (be sure to watch the Tempo broadcast).

    Throughout the game, Mabrey and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton had been going at each other physically. Prior to this moment, a flagrant one was called on Laney-Hamilton when she hit Mabrey in the face with two minutes left in the second quarter and both players also received technicals for pushing and shoving one another in the 3rd quarter.

    With 1:48 minutes left in the 4th quarter in a one-point game, a shoe hits Mabrey in the back. TSN commentator, Matt Cullen, then says, “It was [Jonquel] Jones’ shoe; I have no idea how it got in Mabrey’s hand.”

    The broadcast proceeded to try solving this mystery and watched the replay again and again to figure out how and why the shoe hit Mabrey.  

    After review, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ejected from the game for throwing the shoe (hilariously, the New York Liberty broadcast did not mention shoe gate once. They did not show it. They reported that Laney-Hamilton got ejected then just moved on).  

    Questions swirled online about whether Laney-Hamilton meant to throw the shoe at Mabrey. The Liberty defended her and said that she was trying to throw the shoe back to Jones, but missed and accidentally hit Mabrey. To Mabrey’s immense credit, she also brushed off the incident and simply stated that, “I am working on not being rage baited.” 

    Thanks to a fan angle, we can now clearly see some evidence that Jones was running back at the same time as the shoe came flying down the court. 

    I think we can safely determine that, unless more footage comes out clearly showing the opposite, the shoe was not thrown intentionally. If the two players involved hadn’t been the same players with bad blood between them throughout the game, I am sure this wouldn’t have been a story. 

    The fact that it was those two players. And, the fact that I have never seen anything like this before during a game makes shoe gate that much more unforgettable. 

    It was seriously top notch drama and comedy. I love women’s basketball. 

    The Outlook

    After a much needed win, the Toronto Tempo will now head back to Coca Coliseum to face the Washington Mystics for the third time this season. While the Tempo lost both games, both were very close games and the last game was lost to a Sonia Citron buzzer beater. 

    This will be the Tempo’s only game against a team whose record is around 0.500 before going back to playing the top tier teams in the league. Toronto is also currently two games back in the standings from Washington. If the Tempo are to make any playoff noise during this tough stretch, getting this game is a must. 

    However, with three elite bigs on their team in Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen, and Lauren Betts, we know the Mystics have a clear size advantage over the Tempo and they will use that to their full advantage again. The Tempo will have to muster up every bit of energy they have to fight hard on the boards if they want to get this game.  

  • Tempo vs Liberty Game Report – June 3, 2026

    Tempo vs Liberty Game Report – June 3, 2026

    The Toronto Tempo unfortunately ran up against an offensive juggernaut in the New York Liberty on June 3, 2026 and lost 97-82 in their first Commissioner’s Cup match (click here  if you need a quick orientation to the Commission’s Cup).  

    We break down the Good, Bad, and Outlook.

    The Good

    Despite the final score and the Liberty’s hot shooting night from 3, the Tempo showed flashes of competitiveness and flirted with the notion that they could keep up with New York at multiple points in the game.

    In the first half, this was a competitive game. New York’s shots weren’t falling at the same rate. The Tempo once again showed their grittiness and fight to make some difficult shots (shout out to Milic’s shot over 6’11” Han Xu).

    And, how about that comeback with only a few minutes left in the second quarter? Just when we thought the Liberty were starting to run away with it, the Tempo responded and clawed their way back into the game. Moreover, before the half, Juškaitė hit a corner 3 buzzer beater that would have had the Tempo going into the half with a lead, but it turned out it had not quite beat the buzzer.

    When the Liberty took control in the third quarter, Slim rightfully figured out that the Tempo’s offensive strategy needed to change and she started driving to the basket at Mach speed, which resulted in some success. She also clocked that rookie Paulie Astier, while an offensive wizard, is not the strongest on defense. Slim proceeded to attack Astier on multiple possessions, leading to points and free throws.

    In that same quarter, Mabrey also had a few minutes where she went supernova and went bucket-for-bucket against the entire Liberty offense. During that run, Mabrey used the pick-and-roll to perfection, either driving for a pull up midrange jumper as soon as she found a bit of space or pulling back for her patented stepback 3. At her absolute peak, Mabrey shows again that she can go toe-to-toe with the best and able to take (and make) the Tempo’s hardest shots.

    The Bad

    Unfortunately for the Tempo, the Liberty showed why they are an offensive superpower in the WNBA. While the Liberty have actually played below expectations this season (partly due to injuries, partly due to adjustments to a new coach, partly due to simple underperformance), the Tempo caught them on a night where they looked like championship contenders.

    In the first half, Jonquel Jones (who has been underwhelming to start the season) showed her entire offensive repertoire, driving to the basket and splitting defenses for layups, splashing 3’s, grabbing offensive rebounds, and protecting the rim. Jones easily had her best game this season (and best game in a while), which unfortunately comes at the Tempo’s expense.

    New York also showed that how impressive their 3-point shooting can be. Throughout the game, the Liberty showcased an entire roster capable of hitting 3’s with ease, whether it’s Satou Sabally, Pauline Astier, Leonie Fiebich, Marine Johannes, or Jonquel Jones. This is not to mention Rebekah Gardner, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, and Breanna Stewart who all had off nights (yes, Stewie had 19 points but I would consider this an off-night for her).

    In the second half, the Liberty’s top talent and offensive firepower was simply too much for the Tempo to handle and ran away with this game handily. As an example: when the Tempo were down by 11 and still trying to climb back into the game, Stewie was guarded by Teonni Key on a key possession. Stewie easily backed Key down, pivoted and faked to bait Key before Key committed a foul to send Stewie to the line to make two free throws, which increased the Liberty’s lead back to 13.

    Coming into the game, the Tempo led the league in free throw attempts with 26 a game. This game, they only got to the line ten times. There were also moments when the Tempo were able to drive past the Liberty’s perimeter defense and the New York’s bigs stayed near the basket, which opened up opportunities for the midrange shot around the free throw area. But the Tempo didn’t make enough of those jumpers to make New York pay for giving them that look and alter the defense. This was another missed opportunity.

    Finally, while we are still very early into the season, it should be noted that all of the Tempo’s wins have come from playing teams under 0.500 (or have won fewer games than they have lost). Against the upper tier of the league, the Tempo have yet to demonstrate success. This trend also plagued the Toronto Raptors this past season, but we are hopeful that the Tempo will overcome this early trend.

    The Outlook

    The loss to New York is probably the last thing on both the team’s and fans’ minds, as star rookie, Kiki Rice, suffered a grade 2 ankle sprain late in the game and had to be helped off the court. Recent reports are saying that she will be re-evaluated in the coming days and there is currently no timetable for her return. Some fans have feared that her timeline to return may be a few weeks to over a month. This is a humongous loss to an already injury-ridden team. We – along with all Tempo fans – hope that Rice is able to heal and come back sooner rather than later.

    The Tempo have also waived Nikolina Milić from her hardship contract, which feels especially rude after she hit that near-impossible jumper over Han Xu. Nevertheless, we wish Milić all the best.

    Up next, the Tempo face the Chicago Sky at Coca Cola Coliseum. You may recall that, during their last matchup, Nyara Sabally hit a career high in points and the Tempo won their first matchup in decisive fashion. We later learned that there was an illness that plagued numerous Sky players that resulted in a rotating cast of players needing to be out of the lineup.

    In that first matchup, the Sky’s rookie, Gabriela Jaquez, was injured while her former UCLA teammate, Kiki Rice, shone. This time around, Jaquez might be ready to play on Sunday while the Tempo will be adjusting to the loss of Rice.

    The Sky also just snapped their five straight game losing streak by beating the league’s worst team, the Connecticut Sun, on Friday night. Meanwhile, the Tempo will have had a few days’ rest coming into this game.

    While the Tempo will have rest, home court, and the first victory as advantages, they will have to ensure that they do not rest on their laurels and assume that this will be an easy win. As this is a Commissioner Cup game, every point and win makes a difference in determining the Tempo’s chances of making it to the cup final.