Tempo Secures WNBA Win
Brittney Sykes Scores 25 Points as Toronto Tempo Defeats Chicago Sky 85-68 in WNBA
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Brittney Sykes scored 25 points to power the Toronto Tempo past the Chicago Sky 85-68 on Sunday, improving the expansion team's record to 6-5 AP News. The win came despite Toronto shooting a season-low 4-for-22 from three-point range — just 18.2% — leaning instead on a dominant interior game to pull away TSN.
The Tempo outscored Chicago 46-30 in the paint and out-rebounded the Sky 44-37 TSN. Head coach Sandy Brondello acknowledged the perimeter struggles but credited the team's physicality. "We were poor on offense in terms of perimeter shooting," she said, "but our dominance in the paint and Sykes' leadership carried us."
Sykes Takes Over as Toronto's Primary Scoring Engine
Sykes, a guard, has transformed from a defensive specialist into Toronto's top offensive weapon. She finished Sunday's game with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists AP News. She is now averaging 19.9 points per game on the season, making her one of the most productive scorers among all WNBA expansion players StatMuse.
Nyara Sabally backed her up with 15 points and 6 rebounds greenwichtime.com. Sabally was picked up from New York in the April 2026 Expansion Draft and has been a fixture in Toronto's frontcourt all season. She put up a career-high 29 points against Chicago in the teams' first meeting on May 27 WNBA.com.
Isabelle Harrison Returns From Thumb Injury to Boost Tempo
Isabelle Harrison made her season debut on Sunday after missing Toronto's first 10 games with a right thumb injury nhregister.com. The forward contributed 14 points off the bench. "It felt amazing to finally be out there with this group and feel the energy of the Toronto fans," Harrison said after the game WRAL Sports.
For the Sky, center Azura Stevens led all scorers with 18 points and 10 rebounds AP News. Forward Gabriela Jaquez, returning from a knee injury, added 11 points. But Chicago could not match Toronto's interior dominance and fell to 4-7 on the season.
Canada's First WNBA Team Punches Above Its Weight
The Tempo are the WNBA's first international franchise. The league awarded Toronto the 14th expansion slot in May 2024 CBC Sports. The team played its first-ever regular-season game on May 8, 2026, losing 68-65 to Washington at a sold-out Coca-Cola Coliseum AP News. Sunday's crowd of 8,210 was also a sellout — every home game this season has been.
At 6-5, Toronto sits in playoff contention. General manager Monica Wright Rogers assembled the roster at remarkable speed, targeting veterans who were left unprotected in the expansion draft — players described as having "chips on their shoulders" Sports Business Journal. The formula appears to be working.
Toronto's WNBA Arrival Sparks a Youth Basketball Boom
The Tempo's impact stretches beyond the scoreboard. Youth girls' basketball registration in Ontario has jumped 40% since the team's announcement, according to Canada Basketball Ballislife.com. Canada now accounts for 50% of all international WNBA merchandise sales, a figure cited by Commissioner Cathy Engelbert Sports Business Journal.
The franchise is also investing in the long term. Kilmer Sports Ventures announced a $100-million CAD private training facility at Exhibition Place, set to open in 2028 City of Toronto Official Release. Mayor Olivia Chow and Prime Minister Mark Carney have both publicly backed the team, calling it a platform for gender equity in Canadian sports.
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