Tempo snap 12-game skid with win over Fire in Vancouver
Growing up in Chatham, Ont., Bridget Carleton couldn't imagine playing professional basketball in Canada.
"It's surreal," the Portland Fire forward said before her team took on the Toronto Tempo in Vancouver on Friday. "I would never have imagined this when I was a kid growing up in Canada."
Carleton was lucky — her mom knew about the Detroit Shock and they travelled across the border to take in some games. But the WNBA remained largely inaccessible.
"We didn't see it on TV," she said. "The fact that I'm 29 now, playing in Canada in a WNBA game, is just crazy. That kids have this to look up to in Canada, it's just really cool, how much it's evolved across America and also now Canada."
An announced crowd of 12,414 watched the Tempo (11-25) claw their way back from a 13-point deficit to beat the Fire 82-79 on Friday. The result ended Toronto's 12-game losing skid.
It was a crowd that gave the Tempo an extra boost, said centre Isabelle Harrison.
"It felt good. I just felt like we had the momentum on our side because all the fans were here," she said. "Canada really showed up for us today."
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Portland (15-21) jumped out to an early lead, thanks in part to the nine points Carleton scored in the first six minutes of the game.
Toronto rallied, though, and levelled the score at 44-44 heading into halftime.
Fans jumped to their feet midway through the third quarter when Harrison muscled her way through traffic and put in a layup that gave Toronto a 58-53 lead.
"I've been told since being here, they respect hard basketball players. And they love basketball out here," she said. "I'm just, first and foremost, into my team, playing hard for them. But making sure the crowd has something to cheer for. They showed up for us today."
The noise inside Rogers Arena on Friday was so loud at times that Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello had trouble communicating with her teammates.
"We felt the support," she said. "When we made big plays, it was hard for me even to talk in some of the timeouts there. I'm just happy the fans got to see us play. We are Canada's team and they're behind us."