Tempo Fall to Phoenix 89-80
The Toronto Tempo were already missing Brittney Sykes and rookie Kiki Rice to injury. Then Marina Mabrey who had just tied the WNBA scoring record with 53 points two nights earlier was scratched right before tip-off with neck spasms. And Phoenix walked in without Alyssa Thomas, who was serving a one game suspension. Both teams down a star. Both teams had to find a way.
Phoenix found theirs in the fourth quarter. Kahleah Copper scored a game high 27 points and the Mercury used a fourth-quarter surge outscoring Toronto 24-14 in the final period to beat the Tempo 89-80 at Scotiabank Arena. The lead changed hands 11 times before Phoenix finally pulled away. Toronto falls to 9-10.
Tima Pouye stepped up in a big spot
With two regulars out and Mabrey scratched at the last minute, rookie Tima Pouye scored a season-high 13 points exactly the kind of contribution a young team needs when the rotation gets shaken up unexpectedly. That's meaningful development for a rookie getting extended minutes she might not have otherwise seen.
Julie Allemand was brilliant
Allemand recorded a double-double with 11 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds. She continues to be one of the most consistent and complete floor generals in this league distributing, rebounding, and controlling tempo even with the roster missing key pieces around her.
Nyara Sabally led the way scoring
Sabally finished with a team-high 14 points, and Toronto actually had six different players score in double figures. That kind of balanced scoring on a night with this many absences says a lot about the depth this expansion roster has built in year one.
The free throw line decided this game
Here's the number that really tells the story. Toronto actually out-shot Phoenix from the field making 31 of 67 attempts compared to Phoenix's totals and made more threes, 12 of 30. But Phoenix went 21 for 29 from the free throw line while Toronto managed just 6 for 12. That's a 15 point gap at the stripe in a 9-point game. Phoenix also won the second chance points battle 13-4 and the fastbreak points 17-10.
When you out-shoot a team from the field and still lose by 9, the free throw line and the margins are exactly where you look.
Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner were the difference
Bonner notched a double-double of her own with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and her three-pointer with just over four minutes left put Phoenix ahead for good. Copper made 10 of 15 shots, attacking all night and getting to the line repeatedly down the stretch when Toronto needed stops most.
The bigger picture
This loss comes just two days after Toronto's biggest win of the season a 125-97 win over the LA Sparks where the 125 points set the record for most points scored in a regulation WNBA game. That's the range this expansion team is showing in their first season capable of setting league records one night and grinding through a tough loss missing three key contributors the next. That's normal growing pains for a first-year franchise, but the talent on this roster is undeniable.
My take
Missing Sykes, Rice, and then losing Mabrey at the last minute would be enough to sink most teams by 20. Toronto stayed in this one until the final minute against a Phoenix team playing desperate basketball of their own. Six players in double figures with that much shorthanded adversity says everything about the depth this roster has built in year one. The free throw discrepancy is the fixable part everything else about tonight's effort says good things about where this franchise is headed.
Toronto hosts the Dallas Wings on July 5. Her Game Network will be watching to see this roster get healthy and continue building on a season that has already included a league scoring record.
Photo Credit: Norma Ibarra