The Toronto Tempo will be aiming for a second consecutive win as they take on the Los Angeles Sparks on the road on Friday night.
Watch the Tempo vs. Sparks LIVE Friday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on TSN4, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.
The Tempo (1-1) secured the first win in franchise history on Wednesday with an 86-73 home win over the Seattle Storm. Marina Mabrey led the team with 26 points on six three-pointers. Brittney Sykes added 18 points to go along with a team-leading eight rebounds and six assists.
Mabrey leads the team at 26.5 points per game after two contests.
“Marina, she’s a sniper,” Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello laughed at the podium, soaking wet after getting a celebratory water shower from her players. “She’s one of the best shots in this league. It helps having that player that everyone has to guard.”
Friday is the first of a three-game road trip for the Tempo with stops in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Minnesota before turning home for a game against the fellow expansion franchise Portland Fire next Saturday, May 23.
“I love the road,” Brondello said. “These players get to bond a little bit more, to get to know each other. It’s an opportunity for us to grow and face adversity. It’s going to be hard; we are facing some tough teams, but it will be a great challenge for us.”
Sixth-overall pick Kiki Rice was much better in her second professional game, scoring 12 points off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting after going scoreless in 17 minutes in her first WNBA game last Friday.
“She’s a mentally tough player,” Brondello said of Rice. “She doesn’t get down – we all have our moments, don’t we? She knows who she is.”
The Tempo will need to deal with veteran Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, who is averaging 26.0 points per game on 55.9 per cent shooting from the floor. Los Angeles (0-2) has struggled defensively through two games, allowing 96.0 points per game, third worst in the WNBA.
The Tempo and Sparks are two of the lowest-scoring teams in the league. The Sparks are the third-worst scoring team at 78 PPG, while the Tempo are the second lowest at 75.5 PPG.
