Sandy's Toronto Tempo stutters, go 3-7 in last 10

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July 9 – Golden State Valkyries 83 Toronto Tempo 75 (Final)

Australian development player Miela Sowah did not suit up as the Golden State Valkyries rallied from an early deficit to beat Sandy Brondello's Toronto Tempo 83-75, extending their WNBA winning streak to six games.

Golden State fell behind 17-11 at quarter-time before taking control with a dominant 30-14 second quarter to carry a 41-31 lead into halftime. Toronto responded with a 28-point third period to close within two entering the final quarter, but the Valkyries finished strongly, outscoring the Tempo 26-16 over the final 10 minutes.

The difference came from Golden State's bench, which exploded for 52 points compared with Toronto's 20.

French forward Janelle Salaün starred with a game-high 26 points and six rebounds, shooting seven-from-10 from the field, five-from-six from three-point range and seven-of-nine at the free-throw line.

Rookie Kaitlyn Chen added 16 points on an efficient eight-from-12 shooting performance, while former WNBL guard Veronica Burton controlled the offence with six points, six assists and two steals.

Captain Kayla Thornton finished with 15 points and nine rebounds as the Valkyries improved to 16-7, strengthening their place among the WNBA's leading teams.

Former WNBL forward Laeticia Amihere chipped in with three points and three rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.

Toronto received a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds from Isabelle Harrison, while Marina Mabrey had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists despite shooting just two-from-nine from the field.

Julie Allemand added nine points and seven assists for Brondello's side, but the Tempo committed 20 turnovers, six more than Golden State, which proved costly.

The victory lifted the Valkyries to 16-7 with a sixth consecutive win, while Toronto dropped to 9-12.

Toronto Tempo: What's gone wrong after a promising start?

Expansion clubs are expected to struggle, but under Brondello the Tempo looked capable of becoming one of the WNBA's surprise stories through the first half of the season. Instead, injuries and inconsistent defence have stalled their momentum.

The numbers

• ‍Record: 9-12 (11th)‍
• Home: 5-6‍
• Away: 4-6‍
• Conference: 4-6‍
• Last 10: 3-7‍
• Current streak: Lost 3‍
• Points scored: 89.3 (6th in WNBA)‍
• Points allowed: 91.3 (12th)‍
• Point differential: -2.0

The offence isn't the problem

For an expansion franchise, Toronto has been impressive offensively.

The Tempo average 89.3 points per game, the sixth-highest mark in the WNBA, proving Brondello has quickly established a team capable of scoring with anyone.

Veterans Marina Mabrey, Isabelle Harrison and Julie Allemand have carried much of the offensive load, while the team has consistently generated quality looks and remained competitive against playoff-calibre opponents.

Defence has cost them wins

The problem has come at the other end. Toronto is conceding 91.3 points per game, among the poorest defensive records in the league.

That weakness was exposed again in Thursday's (AEDT) 83-75 loss to Golden State, when the Valkyries' bench outscored Toronto's reserves 52-20 and capitalised on 20 Tempo turnovers.

The Tempo have now lost seven of their past 10 games, turning what looked like a potential playoff season into an uphill battle.

Injuries have taken their toll

The Tempo are without four injured rotation players – either out or listed as Game Time Decisions:

• Brittney Sykes (left foot) remains sidelined and is yet to return. Her perimeter defence and veteran leadership have been sorely missed.
• Temi Fagbenle (eye) missed the Golden State game, leaving Toronto without one of its most reliable interior defenders and rebounders.
• Kiki Rice continues to recover from a Grade 3 left ankle sprain, depriving the Tempo of another backcourt option.
• Nyara Sabally suffered a left knee injury just seven minutes into the Golden State game after scoring two points, collecting one rebound and one assist.

Those absences have significantly reduced Brondello's rotation, particularly in the frontcourt where both Fagbenle and Sabally were unavailable by the end of Thursday's contest.

The playoff picture

Despite sitting 11th, Toronto's season is far from over. The Tempo are just one game behind eighth-placed Washington (10-10), with Los Angeles (9-11) and Portland (9-12) also bunched around the final playoff positions.

With 23 games completed, there is ample time to recover if the Tempo can get healthy and rediscover their defensive identity.

Verdict

A 9-12 start is a respectable return for an expansion franchise, particularly one hit by multiple injuries to key contributors.

The offence has developed faster than expected, but unless Toronto can improve defensively and get healthy, the Tempo risk wasting the strong foundation Brondello built during the opening months of their inaugural WNBA season.

July 9 – Indiana Fever 92 Los Angeles Sparks 106 (Final)

Geelong Venom forward Alissa Pili played a valuable role off the bench as the Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Indiana Fever 106-92 in Los Angeles.

Pili logged 12 minutes, scoring four points on two-from-three shooting while adding five rebounds and two assists in a tidy all-round performance.

The Sparks shot 51 per cent from the field and placed five starters in double figures, led by Nneka Ogwumike's 24 points and eight rebounds. Rae Burrell added 22 points, Dearica Hamby had 21 points and nine rebounds, while Erica Wheeler and Ariel Atkins each finished with 12 points.

Indiana was paced by Kelsey Mitchell's 29 points, with Lexie Hull contributing 14 and Damiris Dantas 12 off the bench. Caitlin Clark had nine points, four rebounds and three assists.

Los Angeles improved to 9-11, while Indiana slipped to 12-9.