The Toronto Tempo continued to grapple with significant injury challenges as they fell to the Washington Mystics 79-62 on Tuesday, marking their lowest scoring output of the WNBA’s inaugural season. Despite a 15-point, five-rebound effort from guard Julie Allemand, the Tempo struggled without key players Brittney Sykes, Kiki Rice, and Temi Fagbenle, all sidelined due to various injuries.
Head coach Sandy Brondello acknowledged the team’s difficulties, agreeing with Allemand’s assessment of the impact of missing so many core contributors. “We miss them on the court, and we can’t wait for them to be back,” Allemand said, noting that Toronto has yet to field a full roster in their debut campaign. “Since the beginning of the season, I’m wondering if we had one game with the full roster. This is insane, and this is sad also because... imagine if we have the full roster. It would be great.”
Toronto’s injury troubles began earlier in the season when forward Nyara Sabally missed several games due to a right hamstring injury. Further setbacks occurred when Rice sprained her left ankle on June 3, Sykes went down with left plantar fascia issues on June 16, and Fagbenle entered concussion protocol on June 27. These absences have significantly hampered the team’s ability to perform consistently.
The Mystics, now holding a 12-10 record, were led by Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin, both recording double-doubles. Iriafen scored 25 points—including a 13-point surge in the second half—and secured 14 rebounds, fueling Washington’s decisive third-quarter run. Austin contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Washington’s dominance on the boards was clear as they outrebounded the Tempo 46-26 and converted 20 second-chance points to Toronto’s three.
Sabally provided a bright spot off the bench with 13 points and four rebounds for Toronto, while Isabelle Harrison and all-star guard Marina Mabrey each scored eight points. The Tempo’s previous lowest scoring effort came in their first-ever regular-season game, a 68-65 loss also to Washington on May 8.
Brondello attributed the loss to the Mystics’ physical presence and effective post play. “They’re tough... they’re big players, and they put them in a lot of their action to get downhill. They’re trying to post up, they move well around the ball, and they were just a handful for us,” she said.
Tempo general manager Monica Wright Rogers had built the roster around players like Sykes, Fagbenle, and Rice—key free-agent additions and a first-round draft pick—each of whom have been productive this season. Prior to injury, Sykes was averaging 20.1 points per game, second on the team, along with 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Rice was contributing 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game as a rookie, while Fagbenle posted averages of 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.
Allemand stressed the need for improved collective effort, particularly on defense, to counter physical opponents like Washington. “It’s not only about the bigs, about the rebounding. It’s also about us. When they are really physical like this, I think that we need to be better as a team on defence. We can help each other, and I think that’s what we were missing in the second half,” she said. The Tempo look to regroup as they continue their challenging first season in the league.