TEMPO — Marina Mabrey scored a game-high 26 points and had four steals to lead the expansion Toronto Tempo to their first WNBA win, 86-73, over the Seattle Storm on Wednesday.
Brittney Sykes totalled 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Toronto (1-1). Maria Conde contributed 16 points off the bench.
Dominique Malonga led the way for Seattle (1-2) with 21 points. Stefanie Dolson added 16 points.
In the opening quarter, both teams went back-and-forth and scored on almost every possession. However, Toronto grabbed hold of momentum with a 10-2 run to end the first quarter up 29-24.
In the second quarter, it was Seattle that snatched the momentum late to close out a frame. The Storm closed out the half with a 7-0 run to take a 45-44 edge into the halftime break.
The third quarter saw Mabrey and Conde heat up as Toronto, down 50-47 early, went on an 18-6 run to take the largest lead of the game at 65-56. The two combined for 14 points in the quarter as Toronto went into the final frame up 67-62.
Mabrey continued her takeover in the fourth with eight points in the first six minutes, including a high-arching three that put Toronto up 81-71 to the delight of the home crowd.
Tempo: Had a fast start, shooting 58.8 per cent from the field in the opening quarter. Toronto dramatically cooled off in the second frame, shooting just 37.5 per cent. The Tempo went as far as Mabrey would take them, which was evidenced by her going 6-for-11 from the field in the second half with 16 points when Toronto took its largest leads of the game.
Storm: Centre Dolson and power forward Malonga were met with little resistance as the two drove Seattle’s offence early in the game. The two combined for 26 of the Storm’s 45 first-half points, opening up the three-point game.
Mabrey hit a high-arching contested three with four minutes left in the game to put Toronto up 81-71.
Rookie guard Kiki Rice, the Tempo’s first-round draft pick, scored her first WNBA points in head-turning fashion. She went on a personal 5-0 run that sparked a 10-2 Tempo run to grab the momentum late in the first quarter. Rice finished with 12 points.
Tempo: Open a four-game road trip against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday.
Storm: Play the third game of a four-game road trip against the Indiana Fever on Friday.