The Toronto Tempo could not take care of the basketball on Friday.
Marina Mabrey almost changed the game with a late push that saw her make four clutch threes in a row and a total of 18 points over the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to silence the Washington Mystics.
Sonia Citron nailed a buzzer-beater jumper to seal the deal 86-85 for the Mystics in a game that should have never been that close after how poor of a showing the Tempo gave in the third quarter.
Throughout the game, Toronto struggled to protect the ball. The difficulty began with 12 turnovers in the first half. Then, the Tempo went almost 13 minutes without a rebound from the end of the second and into most of the third. The Mystics’ size was a factor but could not be the sole reason they captured 39 rebounds to Toronto’s 21 throughout the game.
In contrast, the Mystics came out of the half strong and went on a 12-0 run that captured the lead and took the Tempo by surprise. Toronto struggled to recover against Washington’s momentum and didn’t find their own points until they switched up the lines to lean more on bench help.
It was a physical game from both teams, with Laura Juskaite and Temi Fagbenle both struggling with committing fouls. In Fagbenle’s first three minutes on the floor, she tallied three personal fouls, after which she had to spend some more time on the bench.
It was the Tempo’s first opportunity to string together three straight wins, but despite a dramatic comeback in the fourth, they couldn’t pull it off. Toronto is now 2-2 in Commissioner Cup play.
 Toronto Tempo | 85 – 86 |  Washington Mystics |
 B | Isabelle Harrison 28 MIN, 8 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 4 STL, 4-7 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 9 +/- She was a needed matchup against the Mystics in the paint. Her size was important and her four steals made a difference in helping the Tempo. | ||||||||
 B- | Laura Juskaite 23 MIN, 8 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 2-6 FG, 0-3 3FG, 4-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -9 +/- Laura Juskaite has been building her confidence in all parts of the game. She did struggle with controlling her defence though and committed four fouls. | ||||||||
 A- | Brittney Sykes 31 MIN, 20 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 7-14 FG, 1-2 3FG, 5-6 FT, 1 BLK, 5 TO, -5 +/- Slim carried the Tempo’s offence in the first half but cooled down in the second. She was nearly unstoppable when attacking downhill but struggled on defence with the size mismatches. | ||||||||
 A | Marina Mabrey 28 MIN, 27 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 9-15 FG, 5-10 3FG, 4-4 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, -4 +/- Mabrey struggled with her three-point shooting to start and didn’t quite have the impact Toronto needed on offence—until she turned it on in the final minutes. By then, though, it was too late. | ||||||||
 A- | Julie Allemand 26 MIN, 9 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL, 4-5 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 15 +/- Literally the floor general for the Tempo. Allemand’s speed and pace dictated how the rest of her teammates showed up, and in moments when the game began to look hopeless for Toronto, her tough defence helped turn things around. | ||||||||
 B | Maria Conde 22 MIN, 7 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 3-7 FG, 0-2 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, 7 +/- Conde was an important part of changing the momentum in the second half. Conde had success on defence despite the size differences. | ||||||||
 C | Teonni Key 15 MIN, 2 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, -9 +/- The rookie's blocked shots and steals were critical defensive contributions, but she could have had a greater impact in the paint. | ||||||||
 B- | Temi Fagbenle 8 MIN, 0 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -6 +/- This was Fagbenle's first game back since the season-opener on May 8, which was also against the Mystics. She had some timidness to her game on offence and struggled to control her physicality. | ||||||||
 C+ | Kia Nurse 3 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/- Had minimal impact with the few minutes she played. | ||||||||
 B+ | Tima Pouye 17 MIN, 4 PTS, 0 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 1-5 FG, 0-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Pouye was feisty on defence and a good decision maker with the ball. She’s had limited minutes since joining the team, but made them count in this one, especially in the end of the third quarter when the Tempo needed a new breath of life. | ||||||||
 Inc | Sandy Brondello Coach did a good job of switching up the lines and leaning on the bench strength when things were not going right for the starters. However, while halftime needed to be a turning point for the Tempo, it turned the tides in the opposite direction. | ||||||||
Things we saw
- The importance of rebounding. Toronto needed to go after the offensive and defensive boards with more desire and grit. Second chance points proved a big factor for Washington and the Tempo never had those opportunities.
- Marina Mabrey is money. Even when her shots hadn't been falling in the first half, she found a way to turn it around in the fourth quarter where her 18 points almost flipped the outcome.
