Toronto Tempo fall short of fairy-tale ending - BERITAJA

TORONTO – The Toronto Tempo almost had a fairy-tale ending successful their first-ever WNBA regular-season game, but coming up short didn’t ruin the night.

Marina Mabrey, arguably the biggest sanction connected the description team’s roster, sank 2 free throws pinch 32 seconds near to play to put Toronto up of the Washington Mystics by a constituent and bring the sold-out Coca-Cola Coliseum crowd of 8,210 to its feet arsenic Tempo fans anticipated a triumph successful the franchise’s inaugural location opener.

But Mystics prima Shakira Austin was fouled doubly successful the remaining time, making each 4 of her free throws arsenic Washington won 68-65 connected Friday.

“Sad that we didn’t triumph the game, didn’t adjacent it out, but the fans were fantastic,” said Tempo caput coach Sandy Brondello. “It was a very disfigured game.

“Hopefully they get measurement prettier than that arsenic we move forward.”

Austin and Kiki Iriafen each had a double-double for Washington (1-0) successful the play opener for some teams. Austin had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Iriafen had 12 points and 16 boards.

Mabrey led each scorers pinch 27 points and pulled down 7 boards for the description Tempo (0-1). Mabrey was selected sixth wide by Toronto successful the WNBA’s description draught connected April 3. She signed a two-year, US$2.4 cardinal maximum statement pinch the Tempo.

“I want to triumph really bad,” said Mabrey connected really her made shots affected the crowd. “I cognize that if I could bring that benignant of energy, it would beryllium contagious, contagious for everyone.”

Brittney Sykes sank the first-ever handbasket successful franchise history successful beforehand of a sold-out crowd of 8,210 astatine Coca-Cola Coliseum. She vanished pinch 14 points.

Brondello said that the “clunkiness” astatine the extremity of the crippled that led to Austin’s 4 free throws is thing that she’ll person to robust retired complete the coming weeks. The Australian has been successful the WNBA for 27 of its 30 years arsenic a subordinate aliases a coach and said that these hiccups were to beryllium expected for an description squad whose roster had only been finalized the time before.

“We request clip conscionable to book it a small spot more, are our extremity of games,” she said. “We’ve only conscionable started to do it this past week, riding disconnected the ball.

“We’ve conscionable sewage to do a small better. We’ve conscionable sewage to execute a small spot amended pinch really we want to play.”

What was not successful uncertainty was really successful the crippled was from a income and trading perspective.

Coca-Cola Coliseum was sold retired pinch hundreds of fans buying opinionated room only tickets. Before the game, the longest statement connected the arena’s concourse was for the merchandise guidelines by the building’s main entrance, moreover arsenic fans each sewage free T-shirts.

A postulation of Canadian stars were successful attendance, pinch shot fable Christine Sinclair getting a lengthy opinionated ovation during the stoppage of play betwixt the 3rd and 4th quarters. Sinclair’s 190 world goals are the about successful shot history, sloppy of gender.

Sprinting superstar Andre de Grasse, who has 7 Olympic medals, was besides successful attendance. Current Toronto Raptors Immanuel Quickley and Sandro Mamukelashvili besides took successful the game, arsenic did erstwhile teammates Serge Ibaka
and Chris Boucher.

Four-time Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden, who is now Canada’s Secretary of State for Sport, said that he believed the Tempo will animate a caller procreation of children to return up basketball.

“Young girls and boys are watching this and realizing that they, 1 day, could beryllium a master hoops subordinate too,” said van Koeverden “Or they mightiness conscionable want to spell extracurricular and sprout hoops a small bit.

“That’s conscionable awesome, because we request much young group engaged successful sport. We request much tribunal time, much excavation time, much section time, much crystal time, little surface time, much friendships, little follower counts. It’s each about the analog successful 2026.”

This study by BERITAJA was first published May 8, 2026.