Tempo lose – Toronto led nowhere near the tone it wanted, missing defensive trust as the Portland Fire built a bench-driven advantage to win 99-80 at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, pushing the Tempo to a second loss in as many games.
TORONTO — It was the kind of first-year test expansion teams dream about: two franchises still writing their identities, playing in the same room at the same time, early enough to see what’s real and what’s still forming.
Saturday evening at the Coca-Cola Coliseum offered an answer quickly. The Toronto Tempo stayed close through three quarters, then the game slid away. Portland’s Fire finished with a 99-80 victory. leaving the Tempo with their second loss in as many games and a coaching staff trying to untangle what happened after the halfway point.
Toronto head coach Sandy Brondello didn’t soften it afterward. “I just think we got away from our identity; our defence is very average at the moment. We’ve got to find solutions for that, just finding a little bit more trust there,” she said. “We’re facing some adversity. and sometimes you need to get slapped in the face to make some changes and be better.”.
For all the talk around how these two expansion teams were supposed to differ. the scoreboard and the details pointed to something messier. Both squads are only two weeks into a long journey of figuring themselves out. But Saturday’s loss suggested the Tempo aren’t yet protecting the foundation their offense depends on.
Chemistry looked steadier in Portland’s direction. The Fire totaled 24 assists, while the Tempo finished with 19.
Depth also swung the night. Portland got 42 points from its reserves, while Toronto managed only 18 points off the bench.
When the Tempo had trouble, they tried to turn to the names they’ve already been building around. Brittney Sykes entered as Toronto’s leading scorer, yet Portland’s trap defence repeatedly disrupted her. There’s been a clear pattern in Toronto’s brief stretch: in each of their last two wins. Sykes had dropped over 30 points. On Saturday, the offense had to come elsewhere.
Brondello pointed to the difference in tempo after the game. “Our best part was transition. We got out and ran, pushing, getting easy baskets in the half court,” she said.
Tempo rookie Kiki Rice agreed, framing it as a two-part lesson that starts with stops. “I think just getting out, being ready to run, I think that’s something we really do well as a team. Getting out in transition, being stops and pushing, but that, obviously, starts with getting stops. So. if we’re better defensively. we’re going to have more opportunities to play in the area that we want to play in.”.
Toronto’s bright spots still mattered. Marina Mabrey and Rice were the offensive highlights for the Tempo, scoring a game-high 19 points each. Their full-court transition chemistry provided at least a few moments of momentum. On back-to-back trips. Mabrey fed Rice a long pass that beat the defence and set Rice up for an easy layup—the second play forced Portland to take a timeout.
Even so, the Tempo’s shooting fortune didn’t land where they needed it. Tempo guard Kia Nurse had four points and missed all five attempts she took from three. She didn’t hide from the frustration either. “There are times in the last couple of games that we’ve played where we’ve gotten a lot of really good shots. open shots. ” Nurse said. “We just haven’t knocked them down. so it’s about us understanding when we get those ones. you’ve gotta believe that the one that you’re letting out of your hands is going in.”.
Portland coach Alex Sarama had spent the lead-up talking about the different builds around this league’s newest groups. But his comments weren’t just motivational—they reflected the way Portland has approached its early roster. With fewer free-agency moves and a younger squad. the Fire have leaned into their depth to generate offense. and Sarama credited Bridget Carleton’s uniqueness for what that looks like.
Before the game, Sarama said of Carleton: “I think she’s doing some really unique things in terms of obviously being very aggressive and finding ways we can generate high-value shots for her within the offence. And then not just the offence but her also being one of our best defenders.”
Carleton—a native of Chatham, Ont.—has been producing on both ends, leading the league in total steals this season with 12. Toronto’s Sykes has 11.
Defence, in other words, isn’t just a talking point in Year 1. Brondello pointed to it as the reason Portland looked like the better team throughout. “Portland, they exploited us all over the floor,” she said. “We know our pick-and-roll defence wasn’t very good, our one-on-one defence, our rotations. And then, you saw, they were very active and scrambling.”.
This matchup between two expansion franchises doesn’t decide who wins or loses Year 1. But it does show the Tempo exactly what they have to protect as they chase their identity—because on Saturday, when Toronto drifted away from it, Portland punished them across the floor and through the reserves.
Tempo Fire WNBA Toronto Tempo vs Portland Fire Sandy Brondello Alex Sarama Brittney Sykes Kiki Rice Marina Mabrey Kia Nurse Bridget Carleton game recap