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  • Tempo vs Sun Game Report, September 24,2026

    Tempo vs Sun Game Report, September 24,2026

    The Toronto Tempo may have lost their final game to the Connecticut Sun 95 – 81, but they may have won in the long run as they now co-own the best lottery odds in the 2027 WNBA Draft. 

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

    The Good

    In many ways, this game was a poetic end to the season. For the Toronto Tempo, this game might be the end of their season but this is very much just the beginning for this franchise. For Connecticut, on the other hand, this was the final game in the Mohegan Sun Arena and it is sad to see the first tribal-owned professional sports franchise based in a small market be moved to another big market. 

    Coming into this game, some Tempo fans also cleverly coined it the Juju bowl. To recap this game’s lottery implications: a Tempo win would have solidified the second-best lottery odds in the 2027 WNBA Draft. A Sun win meant the Tempo will share the best lottery odds with the Sun. 

    Right from the jump, both teams understood the brief and rested most of their key players. With the understanding that we were never going to be treated to the highest level of competitive basketball, the good from this game comes from the little moments. 

    We saw Teonni Key have some really good defensive moments and Zaay Green highlights capped off the first AND third quarters. Meanwhile, Isabelle Harrison found lots of success with the pick-and-roll.

    However, the star of this game for the Tempo was Kiki Rice. Rice once again showcased how unstoppable she is at driving to the basket with her unique combination of speed, force, and strength. She also showed off her post moves, made long-range shots, and she finished off the final game of her rookie season by setting a new career high of 28 points. In hindsight, getting Rice with the sixth overall pick was an absolute heist. We can’t wait to see how her game develops next season. 

    The Bad

    The same issues that have plagued the team all season long reared its head one last time this season. Simply put, the Sun dominated the paint, outscoring the Tempo 54 – 38. In the first half, Aaliyah Edwards muscled her way for offensive rebounds, layups, and trips to the free throw line. 

    In the third, the Sun made a consolidated effort to dump it into the post and find the mismatch. Reegan Beers put on a masterclass of how a pure centre can help your team and why the Tempo sorely needed one this season. 

    The Tempo’s offense was not clicking consistently this game either. They struggled from the 3-point line, shooting just 17% from 3, and made numerous careless initial passes leading to Sun run outs. As a team, the Tempo tallied up just 13 assists and the offensive flow looked quite disjointed, especially in the second half. 

    The Outlook

    And yet, all of that doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that the Tempo now share the best lottery odds for the number 1 pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft with the Connecticut Sun. While it is not guaranteed that Juju Watkins declares for the draft, these odds give Toronto plenty of hope for their short-term and long-term future. 

    The Tempo will now brace for a very interesting offseason. The inaugural season saw plenty of highs and lows, and it also raised a lot of questions about roster construction and style of play moving forward. How they address those questions this offseason will be fascinating and exciting. One thing is for certain, however. We have no doubts that the Toronto Tempo will come back stronger and (hopefully) healthier next season. 

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  • Tempo vs Sun Game Report – June 19, 2026

    Tempo vs Sun Game Report – June 19, 2026

    Under the most unlikely of scenarios, the Toronto Tempo came back from a sixteen point deficit to beat the Connecticut Sun 101 – 97 on the road in the teams’ second matchup in a week. 

    We break down the good, bad, and outlook

    The Good

    We have seen her do this before, but still have to pick our jaws up from the floor. Marina Mabrey did it again, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter, and establishing a new career high 37 points. She was simply sublime in the 4th, hitting five 3-pointers and attacking the closeout and splitting defenses for layups. It seemed like the Sun may have thought that this game was over before then. Their defense was shell-shocked and defended like they were in quicksand while Mabrey simply could not miss. 

    If you haven’t caught this game yet, do it. Mabrey’s performance will dazzle you and make you a believer.

    Beyond Mabrey’s sensational game, we also want to give a shout out to Tèmí Fágbénlé, who also scored a career high this game with 19 points. She also nearly attained a double-double with nine rebounds. This was the most confident we have seen Fágbénlé since returning from injury. She played with less hesitancy and far more fluidity, taking shots and being part of good ball movement. Defensively, our team still has a long way to go to protect the paint, but this game was largely positive for Fágbénlé. 

    We also want to give a big shout out to María Conde who contributed 19 points off the bench, hitting five 3’s with swagger. It feels like you can really tell when Conde is feeling her shot (her legs mid-air have a tell) and she was on fire tonight.

    Finally, we note the improvement in ball movement. There were more moments in this game where we saw an extra cut or an extra pass and it led to good results. More of that, please!

    The Bad

    Like the previous game against the Connecticut Sun, the weaknesses amongst the Tempo team are glaring. The Sun outscored the Tempo in the paint, 54 – 32. The combination of Brittney Griner, Aneesa Morrow, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa further got their hands on too many offensive rebounds or tip out for second and third chances on defense. They put on a clinic in the third quarter and it looked like the Sun were going to run away with this game, thanks to those clear advantages.

    In addition, the Tempo once again struggled with their transition defense. We have noticed that while the Tempo are excellent when they turn their opponents over and attack in transition, we are not very strong in defending this same situation. The speed of the Sun’s attack in transition led to automatic points. This is reminiscent of the Tempo’s struggle against players like Allisha Gray. 

    The Outlook

    As with the last time the Tempo faced the Sun, they played the Dream next in their house. 

    This rematch comes on the heels of an event-filled first matchup. You can read about why in that game’s report, but we anticipate the Atlanta fans will not be kind to Izzy and the Tempo will have to weather that storm.

    More importantly, in that first game against the Dream, the Tempo really struggled to contain Atlanta’s star-studded combo of Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard who scored 26 and 24 respectively.

    The Tempo need a better defensive game plan to prevent them from going off again. And, we will have to do so without our best two defensive guards available. 

  • Tempo vs Sun Game Report – June 10, 2026

    Tempo vs Sun Game Report – June 10, 2026

    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.