Tempo guard Marina Mabrey scored 27 points in the expansion team’s first game on Friday night.
Mark Blinch / Getty Images
TORONTO — It might have been described as an “ugly game,” but it was undeniably historic—both on the court and in the stands.
The Toronto Tempo lost their first-ever game 68-65 to the Washington Mystics on Friday night in front of a roaring, sold-out crowd at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Despite the defeat, the atmosphere delivered everything the franchise had hoped for as the WNBA celebrated its first Canadian team debut.
The energy from the 8,210 fans was electric all night. Many wore Tempo’s Bordeaux and blue colors or the alternate white “Opening Night” T-shirts left on their seats before tip-off. They booed loudly after a flagrant foul call on Brittney Sykes late in the third quarter. They danced on the Jumbotron during breaks. And they erupted when Toronto briefly took the lead.
Among the crowd was season-ticket holder Taylor Naiman, holding a sign reading “Here for History” alongside three Canadian flags. “This is a really special moment for us in Toronto. It means a lot,” he said.
Another fan, Sasha Rennick, attended with her daughters Alex and Ana. Her sign read, “This girl has been waiting a lifetime for this,” with an arrow pointing to a childhood photo of herself. “We’re a big basketball family. I was at the first Raptors game with my dad, and now this is a full-circle moment being at the first Tempo WNBA Canada game,” Rennick said. She pointed to her daughter Alex, who held a giant, glittery orange sign shaped like a basketball that read, “She shoots, she scores.”
Tempo season-ticket holder Taylor Naiman was part of a sellout crowd for the expansion team’s debut. (Sarah Jean Maher / The Athletic)
“For these little girls growing up, to see these amazing athletes on the court, playing hard, I think we’re going to have amazing development of new players here in Canada,” Rennick added.
The crowd impressed head coach Sandy Brondello, who joined the Tempo after three seasons with the New York Liberty. “Sad that we didn’t win the game, didn’t close it out, but the fans were fantastic,” Brondello said. “It was a very ugly game. Hopefully, they get way prettier than that as we move forward. Both teams have a lot of work to do, but we grounded out.”
The Tempo are part of an expanding WNBA that now includes 15 franchises. They joined the league this season alongside the Portland Fire, who debut Saturday night at home against the Chicago Sky. Last season, the Golden State Valkyries became the first expansion team since 2008. By 2030, the WNBA will add three more teams in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Detroit.
Everything the Tempo did on Friday night was part of history. Guard Marina Mabrey scored a game-high 27 points, while Brittney Sykes scored the team’s first three points and finished with 14 overall.
The nail-biter was sealed by Washington’s Shakira Austin with two pairs of free throws, clinching the win with 10 seconds left. Sonia Citron led the Mystics with 26 points. “We were poor in offense. I think we didn’t share the ball. We didn’t play as a team as much as we would have liked. But that’s an easy fix,” Brondello said after the game. “We just got to get back to being selfless, basketball team, and making our defense create our offense. Because while we got stops, we only had 11 points in transition. You want to try and get that up to close to 20. But it was great to get the first game behind us.”
Mabrey acknowledged that the Tempo still gave the crowd something to cheer for. “I don’t get any of those shots for
