Phoenix Mercury W vs Toronto Tempo W

Playing without suspended star Alyssa Thomas, the Phoenix Mercury produced their most complete performance of the season, crushing the Toronto Tempo 101-69 on Saturday night at Mortgage Matchup Center. Phoenix stormed to a 27-17 first-quarter lead and never looked back, shooting 48% from the floor and 44% from three-point range against a Toronto side that had won two of its previous three.

The Mercury seized control from the opening tip. Phoenix dropped 27 points in the first quarter — 10 more than Toronto managed — and stretched the lead to 58-35 by halftime after a 31-point second period. Shay Ciezki, starting in place of the suspended Thomas, orchestrated the offence with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while the Mercury backcourt combined to knock down 15 three-pointers at a 44% clip.

By the end of the third quarter, Phoenix had already hit triple figures on the scoreboard, leading 88-49. The Mercury emptied their bench in the fourth, scoring just 13 points in the final frame, but the damage had long been done.

Toronto's offence never found rhythm. The Tempo shot 37% from the field (23-of-62) and a dismal 18% from deep (4-of-22), while committing 16 turnovers that led to 12 Phoenix steals. Isabelle Harrison was the lone bright spot for Toronto, posting 16 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.

The game was effectively over after the first six minutes. Phoenix opened on a 14-5 run, with Alyssa Ustby and Maddy Siegrist knocking down early threes that forced Toronto to chase from the opening whistle. By the time the Tempo called their first timeout trailing 22-10 midway through Q1, the Mercury had already matched Toronto's entire first-quarter output from their previous meeting on 29 August.

Quarter scores:

Shay Ciezki (PHX) — Player of the Match
The rookie guard stepped into Thomas' playmaking void and delivered 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists with 1 steal and 2 blocks. Ciezki shot 5-of-9 from the field and hit three three-pointers, looking comfortable running the offence for extended stretches.

Isabelle Harrison (TOR) — 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block. The only Tempo player who consistently found success against Phoenix's defence, though she got little help from her supporting cast.

Kahleah Copper (PHX) — Copper poured in 14 points on efficient shooting while adding 4 assists and 3 steals, her two-way activity setting the tone in the first half.

Maddy Siegrist (PHX) — 13 points off the bench, shooting 3-of-5 from three-point range, part of a Mercury bench that outscored Toronto's reserves 42-28.

The box-score gap tells a straightforward story. Phoenix's 48% shooting (37-of-77) versus Toronto's 37% (23-of-62) reflects the Mercury's superior shot quality, driven by 27 assists (vs 17 for Toronto) and only 9 turnovers against Toronto's 16. The three-point line was the biggest disparity: Phoenix went 15-of-34 (44%) while Toronto managed just 4-of-22 (18%) — a 33-point difference from beyond the arc alone.

Phoenix also won the rebounding battle 44-40, grabbed 10 offensive boards, and forced 12 steals. The Mercury's 12 steals to Toronto's 4 speaks to the defensive pressure that turned live-ball turnovers into early offence. The only area Toronto held an edge was free-throw volume (23 attempts to 13), but even that failed to close the gap.

The win improves Phoenix to 14-26 on the season, snapping a four-game losing streak and keeping alive slim playoff hopes in a crowded WNBA middle tier. More importantly, it showed the Mercury can function — and dominate — without Thomas, who was serving a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul incident against Indiana's Caitlin Clark. Thomas leads the league in assists (8.3 apg) and is the Mercury's second-leading scorer (14.5 ppg).

Toronto drops to 11-29, with the expansion Tempo now losing five of their last six following a brief uptick in mid-August. Their offence has scored 71 or fewer points in three of those five losses.

Next fixtures: Phoenix Mercury travel to face the Seattle Storm on 1 September 2026. Toronto Tempo host the Washington Mystics on 1 September 2026.

Phoenix played its sharpest game of a disappointing season, hitting threes, sharing the ball and defending with a physical edge that Toronto simply couldn't match. The absence of Thomas forced the Mercury into a more balanced offensive approach — and for one night, it worked to devastating effect. For the expansion Tempo, this was a sobering reminder of the gap between the league's bottom third and a healthy, motivated Mercury team playing with something to prove.

Statistics sourced from theScore, ESPN WNBA, WNBA.com, Bleacher Report and Betmana provider data.