The wait is finally over, as Friday night saw the Toronto Tempo play their first regular-season game as the WNBA’s first Canadian franchise. A sold-out crowd of 8,210 fans packed the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Downtown Toronto, but the Washington Mystics would get the better of the Tempo in a tight 68-65 victory.

The Tempo’s Marina Mabery would lead all scorers with 27 points on the night, to go along with seven rebounds. Brittney Sykes would make history, making Toronto’s first basket in franchise history, and she’d finish the night with 14 points.

Sonia Citron would lead the way for the Mystics as she would put up 26 points in the win, while Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin would each have a double-double for Washington, with Austin’s late free throws sealing the Mystics win with 17 seconds to go in the fourth quarter.

While it was Tempo’s first regular-season game, one thing the team struggled with was their shooting, as Toronto went 17/63 from the floor and only 5/25 from three-point range.

Some of the biggest names of Toronto and Canadian sports would take in the Tempo’s first game, including members of the Maple Leafs, AFC Toronto, Raptors, and Scepters, along with Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair.

Kia Nurse Makes History

After spending the bulk of her professional career playing anywhere else but Canada, the Tempo made headlines by signing Kia Nurse as she became the franchise’s first Canadian player. The Hamilton, Ontario, native would play only 10 minutes in the loss, recording just two points, one assist, and one rebound.

Next up for the Tempo, they welcome the Seattle Storm on May 13th before embarking on their first road trip, starting with two games against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 15th and May 17th, before heading to Phoenix to play the Mercury on May 19th, as the trip ends with a game on May 21st against the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis.

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