Brittney Sykes achieved a personal best with 38 points, while rookie Kiki Rice contributed 19 points in her debut start as the Toronto Tempo triumphed over the Los Angeles Sparks 106-96 during their away game on Sunday. Marina Mabrey scored 14 points and Kia Nurse added 10 in Toronto’s first road victory of the season, with the team making an impressive 39 out of 42 free throws, including Sykes going a perfect 15 for 15. The previous highest point total for Sykes was 35 in 2022 when she played for the Los Angeles team.
Kelsey Plum led the Sparks with 28 points, followed by Dearica Hamba with 21, Nneka Ogwumike with 17, and Kate Martin with 11. The Los Angeles team made 23 out of 30 free throws in a game that saw a total of 59 fouls called.
In a previous match on Friday, Sykes scored 27 points and Rice, who previously excelled at UCLA before being drafted sixth by Toronto, added 11 points coming off the bench in a 99-95 loss to the Sparks. However, in this game, the Tempo avoided falling behind early and, after breaking a tie at 18-18, maintained a double-digit lead for most of the game.
Toronto closed the first quarter with a 9-3 run, leading 27-21, and extended their lead to 49-40 by halftime. The former UCLA coach, Cori Close, was present courtside capturing video footage of her former player, Rice.
The Tempo will next face Phoenix on Tuesday as part of their ongoing four-game road trip, while the Sparks will also play against Phoenix on Thursday to kick off their own four-game road trip.