Sky Edge Tempo 84-79 in High-Stakes WNBA Clash

The Chicago Sky edged the expansion Toronto Tempo 84-79 in a tightly contested Eastern Conference matchup at Wintrust Arena on Wednesday night. Kamilla Cardoso dominated the paint with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Gabriela Jaquez added 14 points in a strong home performance for the Sky. The Sky improved to 4-3 with the win, while the Tempo dropped to 3-5.

Chicago leaned heavily on its frontcourt size throughout the game. Cardoso’s 2.2 blocks per game this season continued to disrupt Toronto’s offense, and her ability to control the offensive glass proved critical in the second half. Meanwhile, Jaquez has emerged as a reliable scoring threat, averaging 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 2026.

Toronto’s backcourt duo of Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes gave the Tempo life on the perimeter. Mabrey finished with 19.5 points per game on the season, and Sykes added 17.8 points while providing two-way impact. The Tempo’s transition game kept the game within striking distance throughout the night, but late-game interior struggles proved costly.

With Toronto’s frontcourt depth thinned by injuries to Temi Fagbenle and Isabelle Harrison, Nyara Sabally was tasked with checking Cardoso on the glass. Sabally held her own for stretches but was ultimately outmatched in the second half as the Sky built a lead that Toronto could not overcome.

Defensively, the Sky focused on limiting Mabrey’s ability to get open looks from beyond the arc. The strategy worked late in the fourth quarter, as Toronto’s shooting dipped and the Sky pulled away for the win.

Oddsmakers had the Sky as -3.5 favorites entering the game, and the final score reflected that slight edge. The over/under of 165.5 was just hit, with the game totaling 163 points.

The Sky will look to build on this momentum when they host the Washington Mystics on Saturday. The Tempo will aim to regroup and return to form as they continue their inaugural season in the WNBA.