The Toronto Tempo is officially in the win column amidst a dominant defensive effort in its debut showing.
The Toronto Tempo didn't have to wait long to break out their victory dance.
Thanks to a 3-point showcase from Marina Mabrey and Maria Conde, the Tempo is officially in the WNBA win column, as their efforts and more paved the way to an 86-73 triumph over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday night. The two united for 10 of 11 Toronto triples and a pair of Mabrey deep balls kickstarted an 11-2 run over the final 5:10 that sealed the deal at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
That's our Marina🥹 pic.twitter.com/rzT0xbnVAV
— Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) May 14, 2026
Toronto's Timely Triumph
With the Tempo's win, both of the WNBA's freshman squads are officially in the win column. The victory up north came less than 24 hours after the Portland Fire earned a buzzer-beating bash against the New York Liberty in the Pacific Northwest.
Armed with the talents of veterans like Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, and local heroine Kia Nurse, Toronto has secured a significant amount of hype for an expansion club, a feeling only exacerbated by the presence of two-time champion head coach Sandy Brondello. Though safe from Ontario's frigid climate, Brondello could hardly hide from the locker room deluge kickstarted by her players.
Such precision wasn't matched on the visitors' end: the Storm shot but 3-of-10 in the final frame (fruitless on four attempts).
As the first week of the 2026 season reaches its final hours, the Tempo have fulfilled what ever bargain their hype generated. In addition to the win in its back pocket, Toronto previously took the Washington Mystics to the brink in its maiden voyage last Friday and owns the top defensive rating in the league entering Thursday night play. In addition to her offensive prowess, Mabrey took four steals on a night where Toronto forced 19 turnovers. Five different Seattle reps lost at least three in defeat.
Forcing Its Tempo
The Tempo (1-1) are forcing turnovers on over 22 percent of opponents' possessions, another league-best mark as the season enters its seventh day. Toronto also boasts the top quartet in the defensive rating among women with a minimum of 15 minutes per game (Conde, Nyara Sabally, Temi Fagbenle, and Julie Allemand respectively, first-round rookie Kiki Rice isn't far behind) while Mabrey is taking advantage of her league-best 10 threes per game by sinking 45 percent from deep.
"When we need to, in both of these, they start with that defensive intensity," Brondello said of the two-way effort, per Abdulhamid Ibrahim of Canadian Press. "When we're moving the ball and playing together, it looks good. So we made steps forward, obviously not our end destination. We know we can keep getting better, but it was nice to get the win and these players play like they did."
Toronto will christen its second week with a four-game stateside tour, beginning with a Friday fracas in Los Angeles (10 p.m. ET, Ion).
Struggling Seattle Stifled
Seattle has also lived up to expectations, albeit those of a more dire variety: left to bide its time for the debut of newly-minted third overall pick Awa Fam, the Storm is trying to make up for the loss of its five leading scorers from last year's seventh-place run.
Fleeting positives have emerged in the form of Flau'jae Johnson's early professional work, the continued development of Dominique Malonga, and the viral grit of Jade Melbourne. But, having hit reset on life after Breanna Stewart, the Storm (1-2) has no doubt been quelled in their quest for continued franchise stability.
First year head coach Sonia Raman remained steadfast in the very early going, removing blame from her players on a tough night. Malonga put up a 21-point, seven-rebound night in defeat while veteran addition Stefanie Dolson scored 16.
"We’re still kind of gelling and I’ll take a lot of that,” Raman said, per Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. “It’s on me. It starts with me getting them organized and in our early offense and some of our set pieces. Obviously, we’ve got to take better care of the ball. Cleaning up some of the spacing and cleaning up some of our (defensive) coverage solutions, there’s a lot of work to be done there. But this is a group that’s ready to tackle that.”
Seattle next chance to learn lands on Sunday when it hits the road to face the Indiana Fever (3 p.m. PT, Peacock).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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