New York Liberty loss turns on ejection
The New York Liberty lost 93-91 to the Toronto Tempo on July 12 at Bell Centre in Montreal. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton left during the closing minutes after receiving her second technical foul.
Laney-Hamilton threw Jonquel Jones’ loose sneaker toward her teammate, but it contacted Marina Mabrey’s back. Officials reviewed the play and assessed the technical with 1:48 remaining late in regulation.
Toronto Tempo survives late comeback
Toronto built a 74-54 advantage late in the third quarter before New York closed the gap. A 16-4 Liberty run reduced the margin to 84-80 with 5:36 remaining in regulation.
New York outscored Toronto 27-13 during the fourth quarter and tied the game at 91. The Tempo still protected a two-point victory after nearly losing a 20-point second-half lead in Montreal.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton explains intent
Laney-Hamilton said she tried to return Jones’ sneaker after it came off during play in the fourth quarter. The throw traveled toward Mabrey instead, creating the official review that ended Laney-Hamilton’s afternoon.
She said she would never intentionally contact an opponent from behind, with the result still in doubt. Mabrey also believed the throw was an attempt to return the missing shoe to Jones.
Marina Mabrey converts a crucial point
Mabrey made the technical free throw after the review, moving Toronto ahead 91-89 with 1:48 left. Breanna Stewart tied the score on a layup exactly 18 seconds later in Montreal.
Mabrey finished with 30 points, marking her second consecutive 30-point game and fifth such performance this season. She supplied eight of Toronto’s final 10 points during the closing stretch in Montreal.
Chris DeMarco questions officials
Liberty coach Chris DeMarco argued that the ruling ignored Laney-Hamilton’s apparent purpose. During the review, the official explanation focused on the shoe contacting Mabrey and being treated as a projectile on court.
DeMarco said New York had gained momentum before the stoppage after erasing most of Toronto’s large lead. His objection did not change the technical foul or resulting fourth-quarter ejection in Montreal.
New York Liberty stars carry offense
Sabrina Ionescu led New York with 28 points, while Stewart contributed 22. Jonquel Jones recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds, giving the Liberty three productive scorers during their comeback in Montreal.
Ionescu’s layup completed the 16-4 run and brought New York within four points. Stewart later produced the tying basket, but Toronto answered on the next decisive possession with Sabally’s layup.
Toronto Tempo reverses late trend
Through Sunday’s game, Toronto had been outscored by 49 points across its five most recent fourth quarters during close games this month. That pattern increased the pressure surrounding another late lead in Montreal.
New York added to that weakness by winning the last quarter 27-13. Toronto still ended a four-game losing streak and improved to 10-13 after securing the 93-91 result in Montreal.
Marina Mabrey extends scoring surge
Mabrey’s 30 points followed a 34-point performance against Dallas two days earlier at Bell Centre. On June 25, she also matched the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points against Los Angeles.
Her larger offensive role followed Brittney Sykes’ foot injury in mid-June. Mabrey responded with repeated high-scoring games while Toronto worked through the absence of its leading early-season scorer during that stretch.
Nyara Sabally delivers a winning basket
Stewart tied the score at 91 with 1:30 remaining, but Toronto answered before New York could take control. Julie Allemand found Nyara Sabally for a layup with 52.5 seconds left.
Sabally finished with 13 points, while Laura Juškaitė scored 18 and Maria Conde added 15. Their support gave Toronto enough production beyond Mabrey’s 30-point performance to secure the win in Montreal.
New York Liberty struggles deepen
The loss marked New York’s third consecutive defeat and seventh setback across nine games. The Liberty fell to 13-11 despite producing one of their strongest fourth-quarter rallies of the season.
New York had opened the season 13-4 before the downturn changed its July position. The Liberty will visit Dallas on July 16 as their four-game road trip continues through Texas.
Fun fact: The first signature basketball shoe for a woman arrived in 1995, one year before the WNBA played its first season.
Toronto Tempo draws record Montreal crowd
Toronto played Dallas before 20,996 spectators at Bell Centre on July 10. That crowd set a WNBA regular-season attendance record for the league two days before the Liberty matchup in Montreal.
The Liberty game completed Toronto’s two-game series against Montreal. The Tempo also scheduled regular-season contests at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on August 21 and August 23 during the franchise’s inaugural 2026 campaign.
Sandy Brondello faces her former team
Toronto coach Sandy Brondello previously led New York from 2022 through 2025 before taking charge of the expansion Tempo. The Montreal meeting placed her opposite several former Liberty players during Toronto’s inaugural season.
Brondello said the sneaker contact appeared unintentional, in line with Mabrey’s view of the moment. Her current team still secured the result and ended its four-game losing streak against New York in Montreal.
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WNBA schedule moves both teams forward
New York visits the Dallas Wings on July 16 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The game continues a road trip that began with stops in Minnesota and Montreal.
Toronto returns home to face the Atlanta Dream on July 17 at Coca-Cola Coliseum. The Tempo enters that matchup with a 10-14 record after a July 14 loss to Washington.
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Should intent matter when an unusual object changes a two-point game, or were officials right to enforce the rule as written? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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