Tempo beat – Brittney Sykes poured in 25 points with seven rebounds and three assists as the Toronto Tempo overcame a cold three-point night to defeat the Chicago Sky 85-68 at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Coca-Cola Coliseum felt like a locked door for Chicago from the opening minutes, and Toronto made sure the Sky never found the right key. Brittney Sykes finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists to power the Tempo to an 85-68 victory over the visiting Chicago Sky on Sunday afternoon.
The win lifted Toronto—now 6-5—while the Sky fell to 4-7. It wasn’t a classic shooting performance from deep for the home side. The Tempo went 4 for 22 from three-point range, yet they still controlled the game with rebounding and pressure inside. Toronto outrebounded Chicago 44-37 and led by as many as 21 points.
Chicago struggled to get anything clean, hitting just 23 of 65 from the floor. The difference showed up most in the way Toronto protected possessions and punished second chances, even as the scoring from beyond the arc didn’t cooperate.
One early burst set the tone. Tempo forward Nyara Sabally collected 10 points, four rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in the first quarter as Toronto jumped ahead 29-15, building momentum that carried through the matchup.
Toronto also got a decisive moment late in the third quarter, right when Chicago was trying to climb back. As the Sky chased a comeback, the Tempo pulled in back-to-back offensive rebounds. On the same possession. Chicago’s Kamilla Cardoso committed a foul. which led to two free throws by Sykes for a 68-51 Tempo lead—an abrupt swing that effectively ended Chicago’s comeback hopes.
Sykes did the rest once the game turned tighter. She was fouled as she scored a layup to put Toronto ahead by 20 in the third quarter, then converted the free throw to push the home side to 54-33 and a 21-point advantage.
The Tempo’s physical advantage inside was clear. Toronto scored 46 points in the paint compared to only 30 by the Sky.
The day carried another note for Toronto’s bench, too: the Tempo were without rookie guard Kiki Rice. Coach Sandy Brondello said Rice would need “a bit of time off” and that “hopefully we can get her back in a few weeks.” Rice suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain in Wednesday’s 97-82 loss to the New York Liberty.
Toronto now turns to its next test at home, hosting the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday. Chicago returns home for its next game against the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday.
WNBA Toronto Tempo Chicago Sky Brittney Sykes Nyara Sabally Kiki Rice Sandy Brondello Coca-Cola Coliseum Grade 2 ankle sprain Connecticut Sun Atlanta Dream