​The WNBA marked a new regular-season attendance record when the Dallas Wings hosted the Toronto Tempo before a crowd of 20,996 at Montreal’s Bell Centre, the home arena of the NHL’s Canadiens, on Friday. In a high-scoring battle, Paige Bueckers led Dallas with 34 points, adding six rebounds, six assists and two steals as the Wings defeated Toronto 108-95. Arike Ogunbowale contributed 20 points and seven assists, while Jessica Shepard also poured in 20 points and hauled down 17 rebounds, helping Dallas overturn an 85-84 deficit heading into the fourth quarter after a three-pointer by the Wings and Odyssey Sims. The Tempo could manage just 10 points in the final period as Dallas pulled away, with Alysha Clark accounting for all 10 of her points in the last ten minutes.
Dallas improved to 15-8, solidifying the No. 4 seed in the WNBA playoff standings. The Wings have now won four consecutive games and seven of their last ten. Toronto’s offense was paced by Marina Mabrey, who also poured in 34 points, converting 6 of 9 from three-point range and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. Laura Juskaite added 25 points, and Isabella Harrison contributed 18 points and eight rebounds. Despite the strong individual performances, the Tempo could not secure a victory in front of a record-setting audience in Montreal, dropping to 9-13 on the season and two games behind the WNBA’s final playoff berth.
Friday’s attendance in Montreal eclipsed the previous WNBA regular-season record of 20,711, set on Sept. 19, 2024, at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena in a game between the Mystics and Fever that completed Caitlin Clark’s rookie season. The Tempo are set to play one more game in Montreal this weekend, facing the New York Liberty on Sunday.
Tempo president Teresa Resch commented, “Tonight was about so much more than breaking a record. Seeing more than 20,000 fans come together in Montreal to set a new WNBA regular-season attendance record is a powerful statement about the future of women’s basketball in Canada.” She added, “From day one, we’ve believed this team could unite fans across the country, and tonight they showed the world what’s possible.” Resch reiterated that the Tempo are pursuing a broader mission to grow professional women’s basketball across Canada, with plans to bring more regular-season action to Canadian cities, including two games in Vancouver at the end of August against the Portland Fire and the Las Vegas Aces. This initiative aims to expand the footprint of the league and cultivate a larger regional fan base by showcasing marquee matchups and top-tier women’s basketball talent on Canadian soil.