Tempo Rout Storm for 2nd time in Canada

Seattle falls 93-72 on the road in Toronto.

(Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - The Toronto Tempo (5-4) turned a tight game into a blowout after a dominating second-half performance where they outscored the Seattle Storm (3-6) 56-36 over the final 20 minutes. This game was decided by turnovers and free throws. The Storm committed 18 turnovers, and the Tempo outscored Seattle 23-6 in points off turnovers. Until the final 41 seconds of the contest, Toronto had a 33-4 advantage in free throw attempts. They finished the game outscoring Seattle by 24 points (31-7 FT) with 25 more attempts from the charity stripe.

Coach Raman spoke about the free throw discrepancy after the game.

“33 to 8 is a really tough disparity to overcome. We took 38 shots in the paint compared to 27 threes; they took 23 shots in the paint compared to 29 threes. I think there are definitely opportunities there. I thought we were being pretty aggressive.” Raman stated.

“Remember, there are different ways that you’re going to get to the line, and it’s not always just a drive. Sometimes it’s a post-up, sometimes it’s a screen. You know, so there’s a lot of different ways that the physicality kind of presents itself, and overcoming 33 to 8 was definitely a challenge.” She added.

Similar to the last game in Toronto, the Storm kept the game close through 2 1/2 quarters. With around three minutes to play in the third period, the game was tied 51-51. The Tempo outscored Seattle 19-5 to end the quarter. They outscored the Storm 42-21 over the rest of the game.

Seattle had just two players score in double figures in this one. Natisha Hiedeman continued her strong play, leading the team in scoring and assists. She finished with 18 points on 7-12 FG. She also had a game-high seven assists and did a great job finding her teammates in the first half. Jordan Horston had her best game of the season, scoring a season-high 15 points on 6-11 FG. She also had four rebounds and four steals.

Toronto won most of the stats battle. The Storm outscored the Tempo 36-26 with points in the paint. They had more offensive rebounds (9-6) and outscored Toronto 8-6 in second-chance points. Seattle had the edge in assists (21-14) and blocked more shots (4-1).

Toronto Tempo

The home team had five players score in double figures. Dick Fain said on the broadcast that the Tempo win anytime they have at least four players in double figures, and that trend continued on Saturday morning. Marina Mabrey led the way with 18 points on 6-13 FG, including three triples.

Kiki Rice continued her impressive rookie campaign, finishing the game with 17 points on 50% FG shooting, six rebounds, and four steals. I will write more about her in Part 2.

Brittney Sykes did not have the most efficient game. Seattle’s defense limited her to 4-12 FG and 0-4 FG from beyond the arc. However, she still finished with 15 points thanks to going 7-7 FT from the foul line.

Older International Rookie, Laura Juškaitė (28) was impressive with 14 points on 5-8 FG, including 4-5 FG from 3-PT range. She had five rebounds and two steals. She was also a game-best +25 in plus/minus. Lastly, Maria Conde added 13 points off the bench and went 3-4 FG from beyond the arc. She was also tied with Kiki Rice for a team-high six rebounds.

Toronto outshot the Storm 44% (26-59 FG) to 41% (29-71 FG). They were +9 from the three-point range, outshooting Seattle 35% (10-29 FG) to 26% (7-27 FG). They out-rebounded Seattle 34-32. The home team’s bench outscored the Storm’s reserves 21-17, and they had a large discrepancy in fast break points at 17-4.

Game Breakdown

Natisha Hiedeman found Stefanie Dolson down low for the game’s first score. Marina Mabrey answered with back-to-back three-pointers. Jordan Horston collected an offensive rebound and scored. From there, it was all Toronto as the Tempo went on a 10-2 run. They got points from Brittney Sykes, Kiki Rice, and Laura Juškaitė.

After several empty possessions, Hiedeman forced her way to the rim for two. Maria Conde was left wide open on a three and drilled it. Hiedeman responded with a corner three. At the end of the first period, the Storm trailed 21-13. Both teams struggled with their offense. Seattle made just 6-20 FG and Toronto wasn’t much better (7-18 FG).

Hiedeman found Flau’jae Johnson in the corner for a three-pointer. Seattle cut the deficit to three on another assist from Hiedeman to a cutting Jordan Horston. The Tempo added scores in the paint by Nyara Sabally and Mabrey. Mabrey had an And-1. Hiedeman knocked down a three at the top of the arch. Sykes added a pair from the line. Jade Melbourne beat Sykes off the dribble to the rim. Seattle had a chance to take the lead, but Flau’jae missed the bunny. Mabrey connected on her third three-pointer of the first half to push the Tempo’s lead to four at 33-29.

Out of the timeout, Johnson scored on the baseline out-of-bounds play. Melbourne completed an And-1. Jordan found Awa Fam under the rim for the layup. At the end of the first half, the Tempo clung to a one-point lead at 37-36. As the score indicated, both teams were competitive through the first 20 minutes. Seattle outshot Toronto slightly, 41% (16-39 FG) to 37% (11-30 FG).

Seattle forced consecutive turnovers on the defensive end to open up the 2nd half. Stefanie Dolson knocked down a three-pointer to give the Storm their first lead since it was 2-0. Laura Juškaitė responded with a triple on the other end. Hiedeman knocked down a floater in the lane. After two free throws by Sykes, Hiedeman drilled a three-pointer. Mabrey and Sykes got more points from the foul line. Sykes tied the game at 47-47 with an And-1 after an Awa Fam jumper.

Both teams continued to battle back and forth. Flau’jae hit a smooth dribble stepback near the short corner. Mabrey found Rice for two. Katie Lou scored and was fouled, but missed the free throw. Seattle had opportunities to take the lead, but turned the ball over three possessions in a row. That allowed the Tempo to extend their lead back to six at 57-51. Julie Allemand got an open-court steal and score. Zia Cooke blew a fast break layup, and that led to two free throws for Rice. Awa Fam had a nice spin layup and was fouled for the And-1. The Tempo continued to score from the free throw line. Toronto added back-to-back triples by Conde and Juškaitė to end the period. With the game tied at 51, the home team finished the quarter on a 19-5 run. Toronto led 70-56 with both teams entering the final frame.

Jordan Horston knocked down a corner three, but Juškaitė answered with one of her own. The Storm turned it over again, and that allowed Kiki Rice to score again in transition, forcing Coach Sonia Raman to call a timeout with the Storm trailing by 16. That lead ballooned to more than 20 as Seattle continued to turn the ball over and the Tempo made them pay.

Melbourne made a three-pointer, but Sykes added two from the line, and Conde hit a triple. Tima Pouye hit two free throws to give Toronto its largest lead of the game, up 25 with 1:32 left. The Tempo had a chance to set the All-Time WNBA record for most free throws without a miss. Entering the final minute, they had knocked down 31-31 FT, which would have surpassed the previous record of 27-27 FT. Unfortunately, rookie Teonni Key missed two free throws in the final minute of the game. Horston and Melbourne added four free throws in the final 45 seconds, which doubled Seattle’s free throw attempts for the game. At the final buzzer, the Storm lost in blowout fashion, 93-72.

Final Box Score

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional commentary, analysis, and interviews. It will be sent to paid subscribers later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Up Next

The Seattle Storm (3-6) travel to Dallas to face the Wings (5-3) on Monday, June 1st at 5:00 PM PT. It is the first game between these two teams this season and should feature the #1 overall pick, Azzi Fudd, versus the #3 overall pick, Awa Fam. It is also the first of seven consecutive Commissioner’s Cup games the Storm will play through the first half of June. Seattle’s schedule gets more difficult moving forward as they have games against Dallas, Minnesota, Las Vegas, LA, and Golden State over the next two weeks.

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