Toronto's Expansion Team Just Beat Seattle, and the Storm Left 19 Turnovers on the Floor

The Toronto Tempo got their first win in franchise history on Wednesday night, and it came at the expense of the Seattle Storm. Final score: 86-73. Yeah, you read that right. An expansion team that lost their opening game 68-65 to Washington just walked into their home arena and picked apart one of the league's veteran rosters.

This wasn't some lucky bounce either. The Tempo came out flat in the first half, trailing 45-44 at the break. Then they flipped a switch. Toronto outscored Seattle 42-28 in the second half, and the defense was suffocating. The Storm coughed up 19 turnovers for the game, and the Tempo made them pay for it.

The Second Half Belonged to Toronto

Marina Mabrey led the way with a game-high 26 points, dropping 16 of them after halftime. That run in the third quarter, when Toronto scored 18 straight and Seattle could only muster 6, basically put this thing away. By the fourth quarter, it was a double-digit game, and the Storm couldn't claw back.

Head coach Sandy Brondello had warned her team to avoid repeating the sloppy performance from their season opener. Mission accomplished. "We got better tonight, and that was the biggest takeaway," guard Brittney Sykes said after the game. "Seattle's a really good team, and it's just one of those things where we trusted each other."

The Celebration Was Worth the Wait

When the final buzzer sounded, the Tempo bench didn't hold back. They soaked Brondello with water, and she took it like a pro. She'd even stripped off her jacket beforehand, knowing exactly what was coming.

Forward Maria Conde summed it up perfectly: "Amazing, especially for the fans. They show up every night. The other day, we were sad that we couldn't get it for them. But tonight was just special, first win for the coach, for the team, for the country. We just gotta keep building on this."

For Seattle, this is the kind of loss that stings early in the season. The Storm played a solid first half but got completely outworked in the second. They'll be back on the floor soon enough, but tonight belonged to Toronto's expansion squad.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.