The Toronto Tempo finally ended a 12-game losing streak on Friday. The price of the 82–79 victory over the Portland Fire could hardly have been higher.

Brittney Sykes and Aneesah Morrow both suffered injuries during the game and have now been ruled out for the remainder of the WNBA season. Sykes injured her left foot, while Morrow sustained damage to her left knee.

“Pretty tough luck this year, isn’t it?” head coach Sandy Brondello said, according to Sportsnet’s report on the double injury blow.

Sykes had only just returned

Sykes lasted one minute and 31 seconds against Portland before leaving the court. The guard was playing only her second game after an eight-week absence caused by an injury to the plantar fascia in her left foot.

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Before that setback, she had been enjoying one of the strongest seasons of her career. Sykes averaged 18.6 points per game and earned her first WNBA All-Star selection.

Morrow was injured during the second quarter after becoming tangled with Portland forward Emily Engstler beneath the basket. She remained on the floor for several minutes before being carried away in tears.

Neither player is expected to require surgery. Their recovery periods will nevertheless extend beyond Toronto’s final regular-season game on September 24.

According to SB Nation’s account, Morrow had averaged 9.3 points and 6.6 rebounds across seven games since joining Toronto.

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Toronto’s roster was already stretched

Morrow was acquired from the Connecticut Sun on July 31 as Toronto attempted to strengthen its frontcourt. The Tempo’s official announcement of the trade presented the former seventh overall draft pick as an important part of the team’s long-term plans.

Her arrival became even more important as injuries accumulated elsewhere. Marina Mabrey is being monitored because of a right adductor problem, while Maria Conde and Nyara Sabally have also been unavailable.

Toronto had only eight players available for Sunday’s 88–78 defeat to the Las Vegas Aces in Vancouver. That number fell to seven when Julie Allemand struck her head on the court and could not return.

The repeated absences have forced Brondello to use combinations she would not normally consider. The coach acknowledged that she must now manage the available players carefully to avoid creating further physical problems.

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WNBA rules leave Toronto trapped

Toronto discovered on Saturday that it is not eligible to sign another player on a hardship contract. The explanation creates an unusual situation.

Sykes, Morrow and the other injured players will not return before Toronto’s season ends. However, they could theoretically be medically cleared before the conclusion of the WNBA playoffs. That possibility prevents the Tempo from meeting the requirements for another hardship signing.

The rule leaves an eliminated expansion team unable to replace players who cannot appear in any of its remaining games.

Toronto’s inaugural season had started promisingly with a 9–9 record. The Tempo have since fallen to 11–26, with injuries dismantling much of the roster that produced that competitive opening.

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A painful victory changes the final month

Ending the 12-game losing run should have provided Toronto with relief. Instead, the Portland game effectively removed two important players from the final eight matches of the season.

Sykes was one of the team’s primary scorers and perimeter defenders. Morrow offered rebounding and physicality that the expansion roster already lacked. Losing both simultaneously places even greater responsibility on the remaining players, especially if Mabrey is unable to return.

The victory over Portland ended one of the darkest stretches of Toronto’s first season. It also created an even more difficult problem, one the Tempo are currently prohibited from solving by signing anybody else.

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