It’s safe to say the Toronto Tempo’s first attempt to take the expansion team all across Canada was a smashing success.
Friday’s game between the Tempo and Dallas Wings broke the WNBA’s regular season attendance record for a single game, with 20,996 fans packing into the Bell Centre in Montreal — the first time a WNBA game was played in the city.
“I hope Canada’s proud of us. We play every day for you guys, and we’re just really happy to be here,” Isabelle Harrison said.
While Friday night was a Tempo home game, the fans showed up for the talent found on both ends of the floor on Friday night. Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd jerseys littered the stands and cheers rang out for each basket made in Dallas’ 108-95 win over Toronto, regardless of which hoop was scored on.
“We are Canada’s team. You know, I heard a couple people yell Paige’s name, but like, they were there for us,” Isabelle Harrison said with a smile and an eye roll.
Regardless of which team fans supported, the turnout beat the previous record from June 7, 2024, when 20,333 fans showed up at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. to see the Indiana Fever beat the Washington Mystics 85-83. To many, the electric atmosphere and attendance record can are proof of the interest in the WNBA in Canada and what the new international market has unlocked for all franchises.
“It’s all part of the process, and it’s been years in the making. So to be like living these actual conversations, these business moves, to be here right here, right now, it’s bigger than us,” Harrison said.
“It is a giant but wonderful arena when you had just so many people in the stands,” head coach Sandy Brondello added. “We fought hard. What a great game! We just ran out of gas.”
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The Tempo delivered a dominant first half and multiple lead changes. But with four key players out with injury — Brittney Sykes, Kiki Rice, Nyara Sabally and Temi Fagbenle — it has become increasingly difficult for the Tempo to compete with the same intensity through all four quarters.
Marina Mabrey started the night off on a hot streak with 17 points in the first quarter —just two points shy of the 19 she put up in the first frame of her 53-point game — but foul trouble in the second and third quarters forced her out of her rhythm. Mabrey finished the night with 34 points.
While she spent some extra time on the bench, the Tempo looked to Maria Conde and Laura Juskaite to take on some of Mabrey’s usual load. Conde finished the night with 12 points and nine assists while tackling the difficult assignment of covering Bueckers on defense. Meanwhile, Juskaite had a break-out performance on offense with 25 points and says she tried her best to be aggressive from the first minute.
“I found my way to the basket. Some shots went in, and just then you feel good. You feel like more baskets can get in, and teammates see you more often, and that’s how it goes,” Juskaite said. “But I’m here to win the games, and I’m not like looking for stats or something.”
The Tempo ran into trouble in the fourth quarter when their defense couldn’t keep up with the demands of the Wings’ latest unstoppable duo in Bueckers and Jessica Shepard. The former UConn star tied Mabrey with 34 points while adding six assists and six rebounds, while Shepard finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
And the Tempo fans cheered on a new Canadian on the roster, too, as Kayla Alexander made her return to WNBA play for the historic game. The 35-year-old from Milton, Ontario hasn’t appeared in a WNBA game since the bubble in 2020, but was called up by the Tempo on a seven-day hardship contract after Nyara Sabally left Wednesday’s game against the Valkyries with an injury.
“Surreal. Like this is a dream. Like the just the fact that there’s a team here now in Toronto, and I have the opportunity to play and be a part of it. It’s just dream come true,” Alexander said.
The 6-foot-4 center was an easy call up because of her size and the veteran leadership. Plus, the fact that she didn’t need to acquire a visa in order to play in Canada was an added bonus.
“A long, long time ago, me and Kayla were on the same team in San Antonio,” Harrison said after the game, referencing the Stars team that last played in Texas in 2017 before moving to Las Vegas to become the Aces. “And I just know she’s just a not-too-high, not-too-low player. She does her job, she rebounds, and we need that steadiness. So, I’m really happy that Kay is here. We’re back together, and I think she did really well for her one day of preparation.”
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But coming to Quebec was even more special for the multiple French-speaking players on the Tempo’s roster, like Julie Allemand. Before tip off, the usually shy point guard took the mic and gave a short pregame speech in French acknowledging the support.
“I think it’s just amazing that we could have this weekend. We can play those two games here. It’s just, I hope it’s going to keep going like that,” Allemand said.
Allemand shared about the moment she realized she’d have ample opportunities to speak French over the weekend.
“Even at the hotel, like people speak French, so it’s kind of weird,” she said. “I just got there yesterday, and I was talking in to the guy at the hotel in English and I was like, ‘Wait, wait, wait! You speak French, right?’ And he was like, ‘Yes.’ I was like, ‘Oh, perfect!’”
Friday’s game was the first in what will be a four-game cross-Canada series. Montreal will host the Tempo against the Liberty on Sunday before they head to the country’s West Coast for two games in Vancouver in August.
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