Kia Nurse was inserted into the Tempo starting lineup after Marina Mabrey scratched with a neck issue, sparking a big opening moment for Toronto’s women’s basketball crowd. But with the guard group depleted and finishing issues late, the Phoenix Mercury pulled
TORONTO — Kia Nurse didn’t arrive in the starting lineup by plan. She arrived because Marina Mabrey’s neck issue forced a last-minute scratch, and the Tempo needed someone to step into the brightest spotlight Toronto’s biggest basketball venue can offer.
At Scotiabank Arena. with 15. 687 fans up and waiting for the first points. Nurse walked straight to the three-point line and made sure the moment belonged to her. The Toronto crowd didn’t just witness a season-changing start—they felt it. For the sole Canadian on the Tempo. it carried a kind of poetry: a chance to perform where Toronto’s own basketball dreams are usually centered.
“She’s done well for us these last few games, and you know, she made the opening basket as well, too. So, I think it was a logical decision,” head coach Sandy Brondello said, explaining why Nurse got the start.
The problem for Toronto was that the loss didn’t come from the opening script. It came from what happened after Mabrey couldn’t go. With an already depleted guard group struggling to get shots to fall down the stretch. the Tempo kept the score close through 35 minutes. but the Phoenix Mercury ultimately pulled away and handed the hosts their first defeat at Scotiabank Arena. 89-80.
Even in the sting of a first loss, Julie Allemand captured the mood of a unique night. Starting point guard Allemand, upset after the game, still admitted that playing in front of the biggest home crowd the Tempo has seen yet felt different.
“Obviously, like we wanted to win that game. It was a big moment for us, for everybody here, for Canada. So, yeah, we wanted to win, but we couldn’t. But the atmosphere was nice,” Allemand said, smiling for the first time all press conference. “It was really, really great to play out there. Like, it was just different. It looks bigger, so you know, you want to play when it’s a big gym like that.”.
The arena itself looked different too. The Tempo unveiled the cross-Canada court design they’ll use for upcoming games at Scotiabank Arena, the Bell Centre, and Rogers Arena, featuring a darkened wood maple leaf that stretches across centre court and reaches both three-point lines.
Before her unexpected start, Nurse took a moment to reflect on what playing inside the building has meant to her. She said she’s watched and worked plenty of Toronto Raptors games at Scotiabank Arena, but being on the court as a player felt different—and special.
“It’s always special to be able to be in this building. I’ve watched and worked a lot of Toronto Raptors games here, and so to be on the court is a little bit different, but I’m excited about it. I love playing in a big arena,” Nurse said.
“I think it’s great for us to be able to show the interest in the love for women’s basketball, especially in this building.”
For all the celebration around women’s basketball in Canada, the scoreboard left the fans with fewer reasons to cheer. Brondello pointed to shot-making and fatigue as key factors in the way the game slipped away.
“They made shots, and we didn’t. Sometimes that’s how it is,” Brondello said. “You know they have a lot of weapons with their scoring and their ability to get downhill with certain players.”
DeWanna Bonner, a 16-year veteran, delivered one of the most decisive swings in the final minutes, hitting a big shot to put the Mercury up by six. In the season’s larger picture, though, the Tempo were also dealing with absences stacked on top of one another.
Alyssa Thomas missed the game while serving a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul 2 to Caitlin Clark. Even without Thomas, Phoenix still had enough firepower to control key moments, with Kahleah Copper creating most of the offence and finishing with 27 points.
For Toronto, Allemand’s impact was the steady heartbeat that kept the game from turning into a runaway. She set the pace and created for her teammates. It was her second consecutive game with double-digit assists. ending with 11 points. 10 assists. and seven rebounds—making her the first Tempo player to post consecutive double-doubles.
“She does an amazing job, you know, having another double-double, 11 assists, she’s playing defence as well. She’s the ultimate competitor. and you know. she gave everything she could tonight. that’s all you can expect from when we’re down. ” Brondello said of Allemand. who logged 38:34 of 40 minutes. the most she has all season.
With injuries to their guard group, the Tempo had to shift their rhythm and adjust their style. And while Nurse’s early spark helped set the tone, the deeper answer for Toronto’s offence came from others—especially a rookie who arrived not long ago.
Tima Pouye, a France rookie acquired one month ago, stepped into a larger guard role with Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, and Kiki Rice out. Pouye doubled her previous season-high of six points with 13 points.
Six of the eight players who played meaningful minutes scored in double digits, showing a scoring-by-committee approach that’s becoming part of the identity for this expansion group.
The Tempo’s record now sits at 9-10 on the season. They return to Scotiabank Arena on July 30 to face the Minnesota Lynx, and then again on August 18 to play the Indiana Fever—another chance to turn that courtroom-sized stage into something louder than a heartbreak.
Kia Nurse Marina Mabrey Tempo Phoenix Mercury Scotiabank Arena Julie Allemand DeWanna Bonner Kahleah Copper Tima Pouye Sandy Brondello WNBA women’s basketball Canada