The Women’s National Basketball Association has finally tipped off in Canada, as the Toronto Tempo are trailing the Washington Mystics 37-30 in the team’s - and country’s - inaugural game in the league.
Fans at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto were treated to a tightly-contested first half of action in the season opener, with the Mystics surging to multi-score leads on multiple occasions before Toronto was able to battle back each time.
Shakira Austin led the way for the Mystics with 10 points and two steals, and Kiki Iriafen added six points and 10 rebounds.
Marina Mabrey led all scorers with 10 points for Toronto, and Brittney Sykes added seven points.
Both sides continued to battle in the second quarter, with the Tempo cutting the lead down to one point at multiple instances, but Washington rallied late to build the comfortable lead into the half.
Washington led Toronto 17-13 through one quarter of play in the season opener.
Though the Tempo grabbed an early lead, the Mystics fought to build the first meaningful advantage of the game early on - they led 13-6 midway through the first quarter as both sides worked to get a rhythm going.
Julie Allemand drained the first three-pointer in Tempo franchise history late in the first frame to end a Mystics scoring run.
Sykes picked up the first points in franchise history with a mid-range jumper.
