Brittney Sykes tied her career high with 38 points and Marina Mabrey added 21 against her former team, fueling the host Toronto Tempo to a 106-102 overtime victory over the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday in a Commissioner’s Cup game.
Mabrey, who played for the Sun the previous two seasons, sank a mid-range jumper to forge a 102-102 tie with 1:17 remaining in overtime. She then corralled a defensive rebound following a missed 3-pointer, and Sykes added a driving layup and a pair of free throws to cap the scoring.
Sykes made 11 of 20 shots from the floor and all 13 of her free-throw attempts.
Laura Juskaite scored a career-high 19 points and Nyara Sabally added 15 for the Tempo (7-5, 2-1 Commissioner’s Cup), who overcame a 14-point deficit to notch their fourth win in the last five games.
Connecticut’s Leila Lacan sank four 3-pointers to highlight her career-high 24-point performance.
Ontario native Aaliyah Edwards added 24 points for the Sun (2-12, 0-4), who committed 19 turnovers en route to losing their fourth in a row. Connecticut fell despite holding a 42-28 edge in rebounds.
Connecticut held a 79-72 lead after three quarters before Toronto responded with a 9-4 run to start the fourth, highlighted by Sykes sinking a step-back jumper and a 3-pointer during that surge.
Lacan sank a long 3-pointer to begin the third quarter and give the Sun a 60-46 lead before the Tempo responded with a 15-5 run. Mabrey highlighted that charge with a pair of long 3-pointers.
Toronto trimmed its deficit to four points at 74-70 before the Sun’s Saniya Rivers sank a 3-pointer from 28 feet away just before the shot clock expired.
Lacan drilled a trio of 3-pointers as Connecticut scored 21 of the first 33 points of the second quarter to take a 52-42 lead. The Sun boosted their lead to 13 points before Mabrey and Sabally each made a driving layup.
–Field Level Media
