“We’ve got two games at home, and we know it’s been a season full of adversity, but we’re still playing hard … Let’s come out, just play hard for our fans in these last two (home) games, and give them a reminder of what we can look forward to for next year.”
The message was clear from Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello heading into the expansion team’s final four games of their inaugural season.
And that pursuit to show fans “we’re thankful for their support” picked back up — after a two-week break for the FIBA women’s World Cup — on Friday, when the Tempo hosted the Indiana Fever at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
The end result?
A 103-85 loss that hung in the balance longer than most would’ve expected from a matchup between two teams at the opposite end of the standings. It took a 20-7 run by the Fever in the final five minutes to pull away from an otherwise scrappy Tempo bunch.
“I was proud of the effort tonight,” Brondello said post-game. “Until the 35-minute mark, we were pretty close there … I thought we competed.”
And while that might come across as faint praise in reference to an 18-point loss, the bench boss’s assessment was largely accurate. Going shot-for-shot with the league’s No. 1 offence for any amount of time was a positive — and unexpected — step from the Tempo.
Although, to put it more accurately, it was more like two shots-for-shot. Toronto was the less efficient team for much of the night — 29-of-67 from the field (43.3 per cent) versus 36-of-62 (59.0 per cent) — but made up for it by scrapping for extra possessions and wound up taking six extra shots as a result.
That effort started with an inspired showing on the glass, as the Tempo grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the opening frame — nearly matching how many the Fever give up on average per game this season, in just one quarter. Toronto ended up finishing plus-nine on the offensive glass, with an 8-to-4 edge in second-chance points.
So, while the Tempo shot a woeful 7-of-24 in the opening frame, compared to the Fever’s 10-of-15 start, taking nine more shots and getting four extra attempts at the charity stripe left them with a manageable 25-19 deficit. Four of the final five points of the frame came from hometown hero Kia Nurse, including a triple from the left corner that opened up after the Fever broke down defensively on a Tempo ATO play.
That lapse wouldn’t be the only time Indiana would fall victim to their own miscues. Despite going up by as many as 16 points throughout the second quarter, the Fever went into halftime with just a 53-50 lead after surrendering a quarter-ending 12-0 run.
It was a combination of the Tempo picking up well, the tempo, and forcing the Fever’s dynamic duo of Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark to play some defence. First, it was Laura Juskaite and Julie Allemand putting Clark into a pick-and-roll action, which allowed Toronto’s floor general to get to the baseline and finish with a reverse layup. A couple of plays later, Clark was caught ball-watching while sauntering into the strong-side lane, and it freed up a cutting opportunity for Teonni Key, who euro-stepped into an and-one finish. Add in some Isabelle Harrison free throws and a pair of threes from Allemand and Kiki Rice, and the Tempo were back within a possession.
And within less than two minutes of the second half, the Tempo found themselves ahead for the first time. Clark was picked off on an ill-advised behind-the-head no-look pass, and the Tempo pushed the ball ahead the other way, which resulted in the Fever guard having to guard Juskaite in the mid-post — the Lithuanian rookie backed down Clark before converting a fadeaway and-one that got the 8,210 in attendance at Coca-Cola Coliseum off their feet.
Juskaite finished with a team-high 22 points to go with three rebounds, two assists and three steals. She and fellow rookie Rice — with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists — did just about all they could to inch the Tempo within striking distance. Because as far as paint penetration and rim pressure were concerned, the duo of Juskaite and Rice were the extent of it for the Tempo on Friday, accounting for 12 of the team’s 19 makes in the paint, where they finished plus-six. Rice was especially devastating with her drives, muscling her way downhill any opportunity she got, be it in transition or coming off a screen in the halfcourt — the UCLA product wound up taking 13 of her 18 shots at the rim, and made six of them, while getting to the line three times.
“This is why we drafted Kiki,” Brondello explained. “We know she’s more than that, though, she’s a two-way player, but her ability to get down her … she’s so physically strong and she finishes well at the rim.”
That’s not to say they didn’t get any help, as Harrison and Temi Fagbenle chipped in 16 points apiece and combined for 14 of the Tempo’s 34 rebounds (plus-four) on the night. The starting frontcourt pairing also combined to contribute 12 of those points — on 4-of-6 shooting — in the third quarter, as the Tempo trailed 79-73.
Indiana’s lead was cut even further midway through the final frame, as a Fagbenle free throw made it 83-78 at the 6:45 mark.
The game unraveled from there for Toronto, however, as Indiana reminded everyone how dangerous its offence can be. More specifically, how dangerous its duo of Mitchell and Clark can be. The pair erupted for 18 combined points in the fourth quarter, with Mitchell going 3-of-3 from the field, including a pair of pull-up jumpers and an and-one layup all with Allemand draped over her, and Clark going 8-of-8 from the line. They powered the Fever to outscore the Tempo 24-12 in the final frame.
Mitchell finished with a game-high 33 points on 7-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc as she set a new WNBA record for most points scored in a single season (1,034 and counting), usurping A’ja Wilson’s previous mark of 1,021 set in 2024. Meanwhile, Clark racked up 28 points of her own to go with a game-high 14 assists.
“We were slow in some of our rotations in how we over-helped, particularly off Kelsey. That was obviously not the game plan,” Brondello explained. “She’s an amazing player … we probably shouldn’t have been over-helping off the better shooter out there, but we did, and she’s obviously always going to punish us.”
Now the Tempo prepare for one final opportunity to play in front of their home crowd this season, with a Sunday matinee matchup against Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty, who travel to Toronto for the very first time.
