For a team looking to make its first mark in the WNBA, the Toronto Tempo has found itself in an unceremonious position. They have already conceded five defeats in the opening frame of games and were even down in their latest encounter against the Connecticut Sun. But that’s when Brittney Sykes took over.
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Sykes recorded 38 points, tying her career-high in points. The Toronto guard went 11 of 20 from the field and 3 of 6 from downtown in the game, as per ESPN.
Notably, Sykes also scored a driving layup in OT that gave Toronto the lead with just 42.7 seconds remaining. She further helped her team extend its lead by nailing two free throws and eventually clinched its seventh win of the season.
Brittney Sykes tipped off her scoring spree early in the game. The Toronto guard scored a 4-foot two-point shot within the opening four minutes of play, exploding for 11 points in Q1 alone. As the game progressed, Sykes showed no signs of slowing down.
Yet, the Toronto Tempo never looked comfortable. Foul troubles plagued their performance throughout the game, where they gave away 32 personal fouls and 37 free throw attempts. They weren’t particularly accurate from the field either, missing 38 field goal attempts (45%) and even shooting lower than Connecticut (46%).
By the time the halftime buzzer went off, Toronto was 11 points down after being outplayed 16-26 in the second quarter. But Sykes and Marina Mabrey came to their rescue, combining for 26 points in the second half to keep the team in contention. Sykes clutched from the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter to score in both of her attempts and eventually push the game to overtime.
She also scored 5 points in overtime to see Toronto script a stellar comeback at their home arena, Coca-Cola Coliseum. Mabrey and Laura Juskaite played the secondary scoring role perfectly, adding 21 and 19 points, respectively, to complement Sykes.
With this performance, Brittney Sykes has now recorded three 30+ games in the 2026 season. This makes her only the third player to achieve this feat after A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. One of the major aspects of her Connecticut performance was her poise from the free-throw line.
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May 17, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Tempo guard Brittney Sykes (20) handles the ball in the second half against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
She went 13 of 13 from the line, capitalizing on these opportunities in crunch moments of the game. Sykes shed light on this stat line a bit in her post-game presser.
“I just had a goal at the beginning of the season to go downhill and obviously score from different levels,” Sykes said via Toronto Tempo YouTube channel. “But to really own the charity stripe, and to really show that it’s really hard to stop me from getting to the basket again, to the line.”
By all means, Sykes is currently having her career season in the WNBA, averaging 20+ points per game, as per WNBA.com. She is leading her team in points and steals while also being third in the league points leaderboard. And after her career-best performance against Connecticut, Sykes also had some props coming her way.
Head Coach Sandy Brondello Heaps Praise on Brittney Sykes’ Connecticut Performance
The Toronto Tempo’s decision to sign Brittney Sykes now seems to be paying off. In a press release after signing Sykes, Toronto stated that it wants Sykes to “set a standard.” And to be fair, she had done exactly that.
As the team’s veteran, Sykes has stepped up in close contests, helping the team close out games. Even in the Connecticut Sun game, it was Sykes who made the difference in the final minutes of the game. Head coach Sandy Brondello was quick to pinpoint it in the post-game press conference.
“Just happy Slim knocking down those free throws,” Brondello said. “It was amazing. We put the ball in her hands a fair bit near the end there, and she made great things happen, but we just got to get some rest now.”
Brittney Sykes has been a fundamental part of the team’s engine, contributing in a two-way role. While her scoring burst is as efficient as it gets, Sykes’ lockdown perimeter defense is solid as well. She has been thriving this season under Brondello.
A similar consistency for the remainder of the season can even land Brittney Sykes in the MVP conversation as well. Meanwhile, Toronto continues its season, where it is 7-5. They are sitting third in the Eastern Conference. Sykes and Toronto will take on the Washington Mystics up next on June 12 at the CareFirst Arena.
