Tempo get second straight road win, Mabrey and Sykes go for 30

Toronto’s million-dollar backcourt shined as Marina Mabrey scored 30 points and hit six three-pointers, while Brittney Sykes scored 32 to lead the Toronto Tempo past the Phoenix Mercury 98-90 for their second straight road win. 

Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello returned to Phoenix, where she won the 2014 WNBA Championship and Coach of the Year honours, as Toronto continued its successful road trip Tuesday night against the Mercury.

Mabrey finished with 30 points, Sykes added 32, and Kiki Rice chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds.

Five different Mercury players scored in double figures in the loss. Kahleah Copper led Phoenix with 18 points, while Natasha Mack recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Mabrey knocked down her second three-pointer of the fourth quarter before Laura Juskaite added another from deep to cap an 8-0 Tempo run and force a Mercury timeout with 6:49 remaining. 

Later in the fourth, Mabrey buried her sixth three-pointer with 1:20 remaining to put the Tempo ahead 96-90, and Toronto sealed the win at the free-throw line.

Mercury centre Natasha Mack dominated the paint before suffering a right leg injury late in the third quarter that forced her to leave the game. Mack finished with a double-double and three assists in just 17 minutes, and the game shifted after her exit.

Mabrey opened the scoring for Toronto, and Rice followed with a three-pointer as the rookie continued her strong start to the season. 

After a pair of uncharacteristic games against the Sparks, Mabrey attacked early and played aggressively from the opening tip.

Mack caused problems inside with six points and six rebounds in the first quarter, while Mabrey led Toronto with seven points in a back-and-forth opening frame. The teams finished the quarter tied 21-21 after six lead changes.

Toronto’s offence slowed early in the second quarter, missing six of its first seven shots during a 7-0 Mercury run before Sykes scored her first basket midway through the second frame.

Mabrey picked up a technical foul after an altercation in transition with Phoenix’s Jovana Nogic, but the moment appeared to spark the Tempo as they began to find their rhythm offensively.

Sykes then drilled threes on back-to-back possessions to tie the game with under a minute remaining in the half.

Mabrey and Sykes carried Toronto offensively after the Tempo fell behind by as many as six. 

The duo combined for 29 first-half points. 

Meanwhile, Mack continued to dominate the paint and finished the half one rebound shy of a double-double.

Toronto led 45-44 at halftime after a high-scoring opening half that featured 12 lead changes.

Phoenix opened the second half shooting 9-for-10 from the field, but Sykes answered with 10 third-quarter points while Mabrey heated up as well.

The Mercury carried a slim 74-73 lead into the fourth quarter.

Toronto responded with a 10-2 run in the final frame, but Alyssa Thomas answered with a strong stretch of her own to pull Phoenix within three with just under three-and-a-half minutes remaining.

Maria Conde and Rice responded with key baskets down the stretch as Toronto held on for its second straight victory.

The Tempo’s road trip continues Thursday against the Minnesota Lynx.