The Toronto Tempo are back in action Friday night as they take on the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces in the first half of a weekend back-to-back.
Toronto fell to 11-27 on the year following their loss to the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, continuing a second-half slide that has seen the team win just two games over the past 20 outings in their inaugural season.
Despite the loss to the last-placed Storm, rookie point guard Kiki Rice set a career high with 24 points on 50 per cent shooting from the field, also adding five assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
With the Tempo already eliminated from playoff contention and a number of injuries to key players, the final four games on the regular-season schedule are about Rice’s development heading into next year.
“I think it’s just about being ready for your opportunity,” Rice said following her career night. “Obviously, we’ve had a lot of injuries, and so different people have different roles.”
Toronto was shorthanded against Seattle due to a plethora of injuries to key players.
All-Star Marina Mabrey remained on the sidelines with an adductor injury alongside Brittney Sykes and Aneesah Morrow, who were both announced to be out for the remainder of the season with injuries picked up during the team’s Cross Canada Series stay in Vancouver last weekend.
Nyara Sabally, Maria Conde, and Julie Allemand were also unavailable due to international duties for the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup.
The various absences throughout the Tempo lineup offered opportunities for other players to step up, such as forward Isabelle Harrison who recorded 17 points and a season-best 14 rebounds in 32 minutes played.
“I think along with the injuries that we’ve been having, a lot of voices have been out of the locker room too, so that’s exactly what I’m trying to bring,” Harrison said after her breakout performance. “Just so we have a constant voice of what we need to do and some steadiness.”
“We did some things well, and then other things not so well,” said head coach Sandy Brondello. “I think they just wore us down with so many weapons, and we didn’t execute as much.”
Brondello will once again have to contend with a short bench on Friday night with just nine players available as her team gets set for a rematch against the Aces, who took down Toronto 88-78 last week in Vancouver.
Three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 27 points and seven assists in the victory but is listed as questionable for the contest with a foot injury.
The Aces (26-13) have locked up a playoff spot with five games to go before the end of the regular season and will begin gearing up for their title defence next month following the end of the World Cup.
This will be their third and final meeting with the Tempo for 2026 and Vegas will go for the season-series sweep after a pair of victories over Toronto earlier in the year.
