KOTKA, Finland (Interstat) — The Toronto Tempo defeated the Chicago Sky 85-68 on Sunday at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Toronto raced to a 29-15 lead in the first quarter and never trailed, leading 48-33 at halftime and 70-53 after three quarters. Brittney Sykes led all scorers with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Nyara Sabally added 15 points and 6 rebounds. Isabelle Harrison contributed 14 points and 6 rebounds. Marina Mabrey had 9 points and 6 assists. Azura Stevens recorded a double-double for Chicago with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Chicago had no answer for Toronto’s balanced attack. Kamilla Cardoso had 9 points and 8 rebounds. Gabriela Jaquez scored 11 points. Jacy Sheldon added 10 points. The Tempo improved to 6-5, while the Sky dropped to 4-7. Attendance was 8,210. Toronto also won the previous meeting between the teams on May 27. The game was part of the WNBA’s international slate in Finland.

KOTKA, Finland (Interstat) — Brittney Sykes scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Toronto Tempo to an 85-68 victory over the Chicago Sky on Sunday at Coca-Cola Coliseum before 8,210 fans. Toronto seized control from the opening tip, outscoring Chicago 29-15 in the first quarter and never looking back. The Tempo’s early surge, fueled by Sykes and forward Nyara Sabally, established a lead that the Sky could not overcome despite a competitive second half. Sykes, a 5-foot-11 guard from Newark, New Jersey, played 30 minutes and added three assists while shooting efficiently from the floor. Sabally, a 6-foot-5 forward from Berlin, Germany, contributed 15 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench, including a series of early baskets that helped Toronto build a double-digit advantage. Forward Azura Stevens led Chicago with 18 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes, notching a double-double for the Sky. Center Kamilla Cardoso added nine points, eight rebounds, two assists and a block in 23 minutes, but Chicago’s offense struggled to find consistent rhythm against Toronto’s defense. The Tempo’s lead grew to 18 points by halftime, 48-33, after a 19-18 second quarter. Chicago trimmed the deficit to 70-53 entering the fourth quarter, having won the third period 20-22, but Toronto answered each time the Sky threatened. Forward Isabelle Harrison provided a key spark for Toronto off the bench, scoring 14 points with six rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes. Her 3-pointer with 6:01 remaining in the fourth quarter pushed the Tempo lead back to 19 points and effectively sealed the outcome. Guard Marina Mabrey contributed nine points, four rebounds and six assists for Toronto, while guard Julie Allemand added four points, six rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes. For Chicago, guard Gabriela Jaquez scored 11 points with three rebounds and a steal in 19 minutes. Guard Jacy Sheldon added 10 points, three rebounds and two assists. Guard Natasha Cloud finished with six points, four rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. The Sky shot 38 percent from the floor, 28 percent from three-point range and 61 percent from the free throw line. Toronto converted 44 percent of its field goals, 33 percent from beyond the arc and 72 percent from the stripe. The game’s pivotal moment came late in the first quarter when Toronto’s Sabally converted a layup with 6:38 remaining, prompting a Chicago timeout. The Tempo had already built a 12-4 lead by that point, and the Sky never got closer than seven points the rest of the way. Sabally’s activity on the offensive glass — she collected three offensive rebounds in the opening period alone — kept possessions alive and led to second-chance points. Chicago’s previous result, a 85-80 home win over Connecticut on Friday, had lifted the Sky’s spirits, but they fell to 4-7 with the loss. Toronto improved to 6-5 after dropping a 97-82 decision at New York on Wednesday. The Tempo also swept the season series with Chicago, having won 111-104 on May 27 in Chicago. In that earlier meeting, Toronto scored 111 points in a high-scoring affair, but on Sunday they relied on defense and rebounding to control the pace. Forward Laura Juskaite added six points and five rebounds for Toronto, while guard Maria Conde contributed five points and six rebounds. Center Teonni Key had two points and three rebounds off the bench. Chicago’s Stevens was the lone bright spot on offense for much of the game, scoring 10 points in the first half and eight in the second. Cardoso struggled with foul trouble, picking up her third personal in the third quarter, which limited her effectiveness. The Sky next host Atlanta on Tuesday, while Toronto returns home to face Connecticut on Wednesday. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Toronto Tempo 104, Chicago Sky 101. Interstat’s ELO system gave Toronto an 85.20 percent probability to win. Toronto was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5 points. The total score of 68 went over the over/under line of 173.5.

TORONTO (Interstat) — The Toronto Tempo look to build on their recent success against the Chicago Sky when the teams meet Sunday at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Toronto (5-5) enters the contest having split its last two games, most recently falling 97-82 to the New York Liberty on Wednesday. The Tempo own a .500 record through 10 games and have shown offensive explosiveness, notably in a 111-104 victory at Chicago on May 27. Chicago (3-6) arrives in Toronto mired in a four-game losing streak, the latest a 90-72 defeat Tuesday at Washington. The Sky have struggled to find consistency, dropping six of their last seven contests after a 2-0 start to the season. Center Kamilla Cardoso has been a bright spot for Chicago. The 6-foot-7 center posted a dominant stat line in Tuesday’s loss, recording 12 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and six blocks in 33 minutes. Cardoso has posted double-doubles in three of her last four games, including a 24-point, 11-rebound effort in a loss to Dallas on May 20. Guard Brittney Sykes leads Toronto’s attack. She scored 20 points with six rebounds and two assists in the May 27 win over Chicago. Sykes has averaged 17.2 points over her last five games, highlighted by a 38-point outburst against Los Angeles on May 17 and a 31-point, seven-rebound, six-assist performance against Phoenix on May 19. The teams have split their season series, with Toronto winning the most recent meeting by seven points. The Tempo shot 51.9 percent from the field in that game and connected on 14 of 30 attempts from 3-point range. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 104-101 victory for Toronto. Tipoff is set for Sunday evening.