The Toronto Tempo held off the New York Liberty 93-91 on Sunday at Bell Centre in Montreal, surviving a furious finish to claim a hard-fought two-point victory in what proved to be one of the more dramatic WNBA contests of the season.
Marina Mabrey was the engine that drove Toronto’s offense, pouring in a game-high 30 points to pace the Tempo. She had plenty of help from the backcourt, where Belgian point guard Julie Allemand orchestrated the offense to the tune of 10 assists — a performance that kept Toronto’s attack fluid and unpredictable throughout the evening. Nyara Sabally anchored the frontcourt with 7 rebounds to round out the Tempo’s standout contributors.
New York’s Sabrina Ionescu was nothing short of brilliant in a losing effort, finishing with 28 points and 8 assists to lead the Liberty. Ionescu repeatedly threatened to swing the game New York’s way, but the Tempo’s defense made just enough plays down the stretch to deny her that opportunity. Jonquel Jones was a force on the glass for the Liberty, hauling in a game-best 10 rebounds to keep New York competitive on the boards.
The Liberty’s struggles from beyond the arc proved costly. New York connected on just 5 of 26 three-point attempts, a frigid 19 percent clip that left points on the table throughout the night. The Liberty shot 43 percent from the field overall, going 33-for-76, and while they were nearly automatic at the free-throw line — converting 20 of 22 attempts for 91 percent — it wasn’t enough to overcome their perimeter woes.
New York’s 18 total turnovers were another significant factor in the outcome. The Liberty coughed the ball up 17 times individually, with one additional team turnover, giving Toronto extra possessions at critical junctures. The Liberty did manage 10 offensive rebounds, which helped them stay within striking distance, but the turnover margin ultimately undermined their efforts.
Discipline was also an issue for New York, which was assessed three technical fouls and one flagrant foul on the evening — a level of frustration that reflected the intensity of the contest and, at times, worked against the Liberty’s composure in key moments.
Toronto’s ability to protect the ball and capitalize on New York’s miscues was the defining difference. Allemand’s 10-assist night with minimal waste kept the Tempo’s half-court sets crisp, and Mabrey’s scoring punch gave Toronto a reliable go-to option whenever the Liberty threatened to pull even or take the lead.
The two-point margin tells the story of just how tight this game was from wire to wire. Both teams traded blows throughout, and the Liberty had every opportunity to steal the result on the road. But the Tempo made the plays that mattered most when the game was on the line, securing a victory that will carry real weight in the standings as the WNBA season heads deeper into the summer.
