The Connecticut Sun arrived in Toronto in a bad humour, wounded by their early play this season, and the Toronto Tempo almost paid the price.
The Sun played stretches in the game where they dominated, but the Tempo matched them in the final few minutes to force the game into overtime and then won it. Brittney Sykes matched her career high with a game-high 38 points in a 106-102 win. It was the seventh win in 12 games for the expansion Tempo.
Sykes was money from the free throw line, making all 13 of her attempts.
The Sun came into the game dead last in the league with just two wins in 13 games and missing much of their post strength with both Brittney Griner and Aneesah Morrow out with injuries. It meant head coach Rachid Meziane had to play Kingston, Ont., native Aaliyah Edwards out of position at power forward alongside centre Olivia Nelson-Ododa, but that duo more than held their own.
Fortunately for the Sun, Edwards counts versatility as one of her strengths and the 6-foot-3 Canadian made a seamless move, helping the Sun dominate the boards and own the paint for much of the game. The Sun’s largest lead was 14 points early in the third quarter.
Nelson-Ododa pulled down a game-high 13 boards to lead all rebounders in the game and help the Sun to a 42-38 edge on the glass as the Sun enjoyed multiple second and third chances off missed baskets for much of the night. But it was the Tempo that pulled this one out, primarily on the strength of Sykes’ ability to draw contact and then convert at the line.
Edwards might not have had the same impact on the rebounding as her frontcourt mate, but with plenty of support from hometown of Kingston in the building, she put up a career-high 24 points. Her previous career high of 23 was set in 2024, her rookie season. Also setting a career high for points in the game was Connecticut guard Leila Lacan, who also had 24 but fouled out just before the overtime.
The Tempo actually owned the early part of the game until the Sun took control in the second quarter and took an 11-point lead into the second half.
