Toronto Tempo happy with improvement in 1st-ever WNBA win in franchise history

Sandy Brondello said she was ready for it, but there was no avoiding getting drenched.

The expansion Toronto Tempo earned their first win in the WNBA by defeating the Seattle Storm 86-73 on Wednesday. The team opened its season at home last Friday and lost a 68-65 nail-biter to the Washington Mystics.

The Tempo celebrated by dousing their head coach with water.

"She thought it was cool coming in there and she just had her paper and then Kia (Nurse) had the keyword. [Sandy] didn't hear it so we can't say it again," guard Brittney Sykes said. "We called our keyword and then we just lit her up with some water."

"I was ready for it. I took my jacket off it. I knew it was going to happen. I was just, yeah, you don't want to see these arms. That's why I'm covering them up," Brondello said, with towels over her shoulders and arms.

The win was more than just a step in the direction in improving for the Tempo.

"Amazing, especially for the fans," said forward Maria Conde. "They show up every night. The other day, we were sad that we couldn't get it for them. But tonight was just special, first win for coach, for the team, for the country. We just gotta keep building on this."

Turning the page from the season opener was a point of emphasis, however, with Brondello referring to her team as "clunky" in the loss.

"It's just one of those things where you look at last game, you don't want to repeat it, win, lose, draw," Sykes added. "We got better tonight, and that was the biggest takeaway. Seattle's a really good team, and it's just one of those things where we trusted each other."

The game was a tale of two halves, with both teams playing a relatively even first half before Toronto turned things up several notches in the second half,