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  • Tempo vs Dream Game Report – June 14, 2026

    Tempo vs Dream Game Report – June 14, 2026

    Despite a strong start, the Toronto Tempo were not able to keep up with the Atlanta Dream and fell 102 – 77.

    We break down the good, bad, and outlook.

    The Good

    The Tempo started this game like they were shot out of a cannon, displaying great energy on defense and ball movement on offense, and going on an early run. Isabelle Harrison, in particular, had the quarter of her life, and scored 9 points while limiting Angel Reese’s production to going 1 for 6 from the field. Allisha Gray also went 0-2 and Rhyne Howard was the only Dream player who had her shot going. For a hot minute, we thought that we may have caught Atlanta ‘dreaming’ and could run away with this one.

    Predictably, the Dream came back in the second. Gray scored 11 points and the Dream flipped an 8 point deficit into an 8 point lead going into the second half.

    The Dream did not let up their offensive production in the third quarter. The Tempo tried their best to keep this game within striking distance. However this quarter also saw the turning point of the game.

    The Bad

    To address it immediately: since minute one of this game, Izzy Harrison and Angel Reese went at each other physically and verbally. In the third quarter, Reese followed by Izzy were assessed delays of game for trying to pry/slap the ball from one another’s hands after plays ended. Had these been called as technicals, we suspect escalation in physicality could have been prevented. Angel also did not get a call when she grabbed a rebound when she was – upon instant replay – clearly well out of bounds, which riled up the crowd and bench at Coca Cola Coliseum.

    With 6:05 left and Reese posting Izzy up, Harrison pulled Reese down from behind with both hands and above Reese’s shoulders. Whether or not it was intentional, it was a dangerous play and a flagrant 2 was correctly called.

    After Harrison’s ejection, the Tempo tried to keep the score within striking distance after 3 quarters. In the fourth, however, the Dream sealed the victory with the combination of their size advantage, Allisha Gray’s unstoppable shotmaking, and their impeccable ball movement to always find the best shot. Temi Fagbenle, still getting back into game shape from a right shoulder injury, tried her best but Reese was able to get 8 points in the first two minutes in the 4th.

    On the defensive side, we have to tip our hats to Atlanta’s defense. We saw Gray give Mabrey very little space to operate during the entire game (going 2 for 11 from the field). Sykes didn’t fare much better going 5 for 12.

    We also have to give credit to Atlanta’s role players. Isobel Borlase set a new career high, scoring 17 off the bench, with Te’hina Pao Pao and Jordin Canada also scoring key 3’s in the second half.

    And, we have to be realistic. Atlanta has been building a contender team for years. With this calibre of competition, we knew that the Tempo were coming in as underdogs and needed to play a stellar game to win. There were glimpses of that in the early parts of the game, but ultimately the more talented team won.

    The Outlook

    On Tuesday, the Tempo face the Indiana Fever for the first time. Similar to the Atlanta Dream, the Fever feature a top-calibre center in Aliyah Boston, paired with 2025 all-WNBA first team player, Kelsey Mitchell, and WNBA Eastern Conference player of the week, Caitlin Clark.

    The Dream once again exposed how thin the Tempo’s rim protection can be. Aliyah Boston loves to play physical in the low post and will look to expose that again. The Tempo will also have to find a way to slow down Mitchell, one of the fastest players in the W. If the Tempo don’t keep up, Mitchell will run circles around you and dazzle you with sensational drives. Finally, the Tempo can’t let Clark go off from the 3, but even if they take away the 3, her vision and passing will be a handful.

    The Tempo will need to take the lessons learned from this game and play a higher level game from start to finish to be able to have a chance to upset the Fever.

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  • Tempo vs Mystics Game Report – June 12, 2026

    Tempo vs Mystics Game Report – June 12, 2026

    Thanks to an amazing buzzer beater by Sonia Citron, the Toronto Tempo fell 86-85 to the Washington Mystics despite a heroic second half performance by Marina Mabrey.

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

    The Good

    The story of this game really began in the third quarter. The Tempo had played a less-than-average but still competitive game up until that point; however, at the start of the 3rd quarter, the Tempo started to lose their focus and composure. The Mystics took full advantage of all the Tempo’s poor shots and turnovers, increasing their lead from 3 to 17 points.

    Credit also goes to Coach Sandy Brondello and her decision to pull the lineup with most of our starters with 3:32 left in the 3rd quarter and inserted Tima Pouye, Julie Allemand, Laura Juškaitė to play alongside Izzy and Maria Conde (or as we affectionately call the Euros and Izzy). The Tempo were down by 18 at that point and this lineup showcased ball movement, crisp and multiple passes, and a more fluid offense.

    While we cannot credit this lineup with the Tempo’s comeback, it did shrink the lead to 11 and the lineup battled hard to shift the energy of this game.

    Then, with 6 minutes left in the 4th, Marina Mabrey checked back in and, if you haven’t seen the highlights, you must. She went into God-mode and scored 13 points in just under 3 minutes (including three 3-pointers) to shave the Mystics’ lead from 13 to 3. With thirty seconds to go, she hit yet another 3 pointer making this unlikely comeback suddenly a possibility.

    With 17.7 seconds left, the Tempo – down by 1 – drew up a play where Slim drove using a screen all the way to the basket for an easy layup for the Tempo to go up by 1 with 11 seconds left. Could she have held it longer for the last shot? Sure. But, when you are that open, you take the points and let your defense win you the game. Ultimately, it was the right decision.

    Unfortunately, for the Tempo, Sonia Citron – who did not have a great offensive night – hit a fadeaway buzzer beater to win it for the Mystics.

    The Bad

    As inspired as we were by Mabrey’s epic performance in the 4th quarter, we have to be honest: the Tempo had no business winning this game. Similar to the Sun, the Mystics exposed the Tempo’s lack of frontcourt size and either dumped it into the post for Lauren Betts to use her size and impeccable footwork to score easily or they would kick it out to Onyenwere or Dugalic and they would attack the Tempo defender’s closeouts for a clear lane to the basket or muscle their way to the basket.

    The Mystics have not been shooting the 3-ball well this season (even Sonia Citron is just shooting 32% from 3) and they shot just 11% from 3 in this game, but the Tempo were still not able to defend the paint well. Overall, the Mystics outscored the Tempo 54-40 points in the paint.

    Similar to the Sun game, the Mystics also outrebounded the Tempo by a large margin, including ten more offensive rebounds – a recurring issue for the Tempo defense.

    The Outlook

    Next up for the Tempo is the Atlanta Dream. If we thought giving up offensive rebounds was an issue against both Connecticut and Washington, get ready for Angel Reese who leads the league in both defensive and offensive rebounds.  

    Atlanta is currently 8 – 4 in the season and fourth in the standings. They feature Reese in the front court, sharpshooters Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard in the back court, last season’s sixth player of the year award winner Naz Hillmon, and dynamic point guards in Jordin Canada and Te’hina Pao Pao.

    In short, this game won’t be easy. The hope is that Nyara Sabally will be able to return to the lineup and we can finally get a glimpse of the Tempo’s frontcourt together in action now that Temi Fagbenle is back in action. Even if Sabally can return, the Tempo will have to play their best ball to keep up with the Dream.

  • 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.

  • Tempo vs Sky Game Report – June 7, 2026

    Tempo vs Sky Game Report – June 7, 2026

    With the return of Isabelle Harrison the Toronto Tempo demolished the Chicago Sky 85-68 this past Sunday afternoon. Chicago appears to be fully imploding, while the Tempo gain some momentum and synergy.

    The Good

    Izzy is back! She had limited minutes back (only 17), but made the most of them; 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal. Her impact was felt and the crowd loved it; Izzy hit a 3-pointer in the 4th that made the stadium explode! So good!

    Slim got downhill early and kept going! She was relentless driving to the hoop and ending the game with 25! She continues to be a menace on the court both offensively and defensively, and we are here for it.

    The Bad

    Kiki being injured is a major bummer. She appeared in some pre-game photos, but wasn’t on the bench. Hopefully this isn’t a bad sign. 3 pointers weren’t dropping today, finishing with an abysmal 18%. This could be a case of taking it too easy and not feeling any real pressure, but this needs to improve if we are going to be competitive!

    The Outlook

    Not to take away from the win, but Chicago isn’t having a great year. Jackson being injured hasn’t helped their chemistry, they look disjointed, and unmotivated. This game still showed us that the Tempo synergy is growing and we can succeed even when the 3’s aren’t dropping.

    Next up the Tempo take on the Connecticut Sun who are on a two game losing streak and are currently 2-10 for the season. Toronto will be aiming for a repeat win and can expect a tough battle in the paint with Brittany Griner and Aaliyah Edwards. It will be nice to see the Izzy – Sabally duo take them on. 

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  • 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.