Overview
- Toronto rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat Portland 82-79 on Friday, Aug. 21, snapping a 12-game losing streak and improving the Tempo’s record to 11-25.
- Isabelle Harrison led the comeback with a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double and closed the game with two free throws with 9.8 seconds remaining.
- The Tempo were notably shorthanded before and during the game as Marina Mabrey, Nyara Sabally and Maria Conde did not play and Brittney Sykes and Aneesah Morrow left with injuries, forcing deeper rotations.
- Pre-game models and bookmaker lines had given Portland a narrow edge, making Toronto’s win a modest upset that highlighted how in-game fouling and free throws tilted the contest.
- The announced crowd of 12,414 at Rogers Arena capped a Cross Canada swing that has driven record attendance in Montreal and signaled growing Canadian interest even as Portland falls further behind in the race for the eighth playoff spot.