The Toronto Tempo could not find a way to stop the stellar play of A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young, and the Las Vegas Aces went on to easily beat the Tempo, 93 – 73.
We break down the good, bad, and outlook from this game.
The Good
Though a win tonight was always going to be far-fetched, there was still lots to look forward to. Could Kiki Rice keep up her stellar play after reaching a new career-high in points in the Tempo’s last game? Also, this game saw a classic “who wore it better” situation between Izzy Harrison and A’ja Wilson. Call me crazy but I think Izzy wears the one leg sleeve, one arm sleeve and the headband combo every bit as well as A’ja does.

With the Tempo still very plagued with injuries and completely out of the playoff picture, the goal of these remaining games is to evaluate the players on the floor and what they can showcase with more opportunity.
With that in mind, we have to give a big shout out to Laura Juškaitė. Juškaitėcontinues to show her knack for doing little things that make her valuable to the team. It might be a small cut to the basket here, or a hustle play there. Simply put, Juškaitė combines the elements of being a “glue” player with high basketball intellect, patience, and creativity.
The Tempo also had a solid contribution from newcomer, Kiana Williams. While she certainly looked like she was at her first day of work during the Tempo’s last game against Seattle, she looked a lot more poised this game and hit some much-needed 3’s and layups. Izzy Harrison also continued to rebound from a tough stretch earlier in the month and had another solid game.
The Bad
Sometimes, you just have to tip your hat when watching greatness. A’ja Wilson was simply unstoppable this game, scoring 27 points and putting on a clinic with her array of buttery mid-range shots and low post strength.
But, what was even more impressive was her defensive presence in the paint. Wilson blocked, deflected, and changed the timing and rhythm of the Tempo’s shots in the paint.
Meanwhile, Jackie Young was hitting shots with Ornella Bankole’s hand in her face. Chelsea Gray was passing between her own legs, and the Aces’ bench players contributed well by excelling within their roles.
Even when the Tempo went on a small run in the third quarter, once the Aces ratcheted their defensive tenacity, the game was pretty much over by the end of the third quarter.
The Outlook
Echoed in our last game report, the Tempo now only have five games left on their schedule and it is hard not to think about the odds for the upcoming WNBA lottery draft. As an update, the Tempo continue to have the second-best lottery odds to land the number one pick and it is a tight race with Connecticut for the best odds.
The Tempo next travel to Phoenix on the second night of a back-to-back before the WNBA breaks for the next two weeks during the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Phoenix has been struggling mightily as of late, having lost seven of their last eight games. They will also be without Kelsey Plum and potentially Kahleah Copper. Nonetheless, they will be sure to look at this game as one where they are favourited to win.





