WNBA: Brittney Sykes' career game leads Tempo to first road win over Sparks

The expansion Toronto Tempo secured their first-ever road victory with a 106-96 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, led by a career-high performance from Brittney Sykes.

Sykes scored 38 points against her former team and was perfect from the free-throw line, finishing 15-for-15. Rookie Kiki Rice added a career-high 19 points in her first WNBA start as Toronto improved to 2-2 on the season.

Marina Mabrey contributed 14 points, while Kia Nurse chipped in 10 for the Tempo, who bounced back after a 99-95 loss to the Sparks on Friday. Toronto shot 47.5% from the field and led by as many as 17 points in the second half.

Rice, who helped UCLA win the NCAA national championship last month and was selected sixth overall in the recent WNBA Draft, made a strong return to Los Angeles with an impressive all-around performance.

Kelsey Plum led the Sparks with 28 points, while Dearica Hamby added 21 points and nine rebounds. Nneka Ogwumike finished with 17 points and Kate Martin scored 11 for Los Angeles, which dropped to 1-3 after completing a four-game homestand.

The game featured heavy foul trouble for both teams, with a combined 59 fouls and 72 free-throw attempts. Toronto converted 39 of 42 attempts from the line, while Los Angeles made 23 of 30.

After falling behind 21-2 early in Friday’s meeting against the Sparks, the Tempo responded strongly in the rematch. Toronto led by as many as seven points in the opening quarter and carried a 49-40 advantage into halftime behind 14 first-half points from Sykes.

Los Angeles improved offensively in the third quarter, scoring 27 points on 58.3% shooting, but Toronto answered with 30 points in the period to maintain control and take a 79-67 lead into the final quarter.

The Sparks cut the deficit to six points late in the fourth quarter following a 10-3 run capped by two free throws from Plum. However, Sykes responded with five straight points to extend Toronto’s lead back to double digits and help seal the franchise’s historic road win.

-Field Level Media/Reuters