Toronto Tempo drops inaugural season opener, but fans relish the moment

TORONTO — It may have been an “ugly game,” but it was a historic one — both on and off the court. The Toronto Tempo dropped their inaugural season opener 68-65 to the Washington Mystics on Friday in front of a thunderous, sold-out Coca-Cola Coliseum on Friday, but the atmosphere of the WNBA’s debut of a Canadian team was exactly what the team had hoped to see. The energy of the 8,210 fans, who were adorned in Tempo bordeaux and blue or alternate white “Opening Night” T-shirts that had been placed on their seats ahead of tip-off, was palpable all night.

They roared loud boos for a flagrant foul on Sykes toward the end of the third quarter, danced on the Jumbotron at breaks throughout the night and cheered loudly when Toronto fleetingly grabbed hold of the lead. Among those fans was season-ticket holder Taylor Naiman, who held a sign that read “Here for History” with three Canadian flags. “This is a really special moment for us, in Toronto.

It means a lot. ” Another was Sasha Rennick, who attended with her daughters Alex and Ana, holding a sign that said, “This girl has been waiting a lifetime for this,” with an arrow pointing to a photo of her as a child. “We’re a big basketball family.

I was at the first Raptors game with my dad, and now this is a full-circle moment being at the first Tempo WNBA Canada game,” said Rennick, who then pointed to her daughter, Alex, who held a giant, glittery orange sign shaped like a basketball that read, “She shoots, she scores. ” “For these little girls growing up, to see these amazing athletes on the court, playing hard, I think we’re going to have amazing development of new players here in Canada,” Rennick said. It was a crowd that impressed Brondello, who joined the Tempo after three seasons on the New York Liberty bench.