Toronto Tempo head into WNBA’s all-star break with 109-83 loss to Las Vegas Aces

TORONTO — The Toronto Tempo are looking forward to a mental and physical rest period over the WNBA’s all-star break — so they can be ready to attack the season’s second half.

The expansion franchise dropped a 109-83 decision to the Las Vegas Aces (18-7) at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Monday night. Toronto (10-16) enters the break having lost three straight and seven of their last eight games overall.

It’s been an eventful opening half for Canada’s first WNBA team. The Tempo have enjoyed memorable moments, including Marina Mabrey’s WNBA record-tying 53 point-performance against the Los Angeles Sparks on June 25 and setting a league attendance record at Montreal’s Bell Centre earlier this month.

But Toronto has also been hampered by key injuries, all while experiencing the growing pains expected of an expansion team. The break will be a moment to reset, said Tempo centre Isabelle Harrison.

“We have people in and out, injuries left and right,” said Harrison, who scored a career-high 26 points in the loss. “So, really resting, but coming in and having the mindset of just being tough.

“I can live with a lot of different things that might not go well. But we just have to be tougher and be ready to face these teams that we have coming up after the break.”

On Monday, the Tempo also faced a new challenge. Head coach Sandy Brondello wasn’t on the bench as she served a one-game suspension handed down by the league for an “inappropriate” comment she made about Atlanta star Angel Reese during the Dream’s 111- 92 win Friday.

It happened when Tempo centre, Nyara Sabally fouled Reese after an offensive rebound. While the call was reviewed, microphones picked up Brondello yelling at the referees, “Angel, she’s a protected species.”

Brondello issued a written apology for her choice of words on social media the following day. She later told the media she’d reached out to Reese immediately following Friday’s game.

Tempo associate coach Olaf Lange, who is married to Brondello, assumed head coaching duties for the game. He was asked ahead of Monday’s contest if he thought the suspension was fair.

“I’m not going to entertain that,” he said. “I think my wife handled it well.

“I’m not in the business of judging if this is justified or not. It is what it is, and I’m here to coach.”

Lange said the team was ready to turn its attention to facing the Aces.

“The players handled it very, very professionally,” he said. “There was support, and then there was understanding of the situation, and they really wanted to move on and focus on the game.”

The Tempo were in tough against the defending champion Aces (18-7), who were making their first trip to Toronto. A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young combined for 50 points as Las Vegas took control of the game in the second half.

“Vegas is the champion in three of the last four years,” Lange said. “This is a terrific basketball team.”

The loss capped a 2-7 stretch for the Tempo during their nine-game homestand that spanned 26 days and three venues, including Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, Coca-Cola Coliseum and the Bell Centre.

While Mabrey will head to Chicago for her first all-star Game appearance, the remaining Tempo players are prepared to use the break to recuperate. When play resumes, Mabrey said the club needs to “get better and not feel sorry for ourselves.”

The Tempo visit the Minnesota Lynx on July 28.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2026.

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press