Overview
- The expansion Toronto Tempo beat the Phoenix Mercury 98-90 on Tuesday after Brittney Sykes scored 31 points and Marina Mabrey added 30, with Toronto making a season-high 15 three-pointers.
- Toronto’s 15-of-36 shooting from beyond the arc overwhelmed Phoenix, whose 4-of-22 performance from three-point range turned into the decisive scoring gap.
- Phoenix players and coach Nate Tibbetts publicly faulted the team’s defense after the game, saying late-game breakdowns and matchup mistakes cost them open perimeter looks.
- Center Natasha Mack left late in the third quarter and accounts differ on the cause, with some reports describing a hard fall and others calling it a leg cramp, and her absence coincided with Phoenix’s defensive slide.
- The result puts Toronto at 3-2 and riding consecutive wins while Phoenix falls to 2-3, creating an immediate test of Phoenix’s defensive identity in a short turnaround and spotlighting Toronto’s backcourt as a new offensive threat; Phoenix rookie Jovana Nogic’s recent 27-point game also shows the team has offensive talent even as it sorts defense.