A WNBA regular-season attendance record was set Friday night in Montreal, where 20,996 fans packed Bell Centre to watch the Dallas Wings beat the expansion Toronto Tempo 108-95.
Paige Bueckers led Dallas with 34 points, shooting 13 of 22 from the field. She also had six assists and six rebounds. Jessica Shepard added 20 points and 17 rebounds, Arike Ogunbowale scored 20, and Azzi Fudd contributed 13.
The crowd surpassed the previous regular-season high of 20,711, set in Washington on Sept. 19, 2024, in a game against Indiana. The league's two largest crowds overall, each 22,076, came in Detroit during the 2003 and 2007 WNBA Finals.
The win completed a four-game road trip sweep for the Wings, who improved to 15-8. The trip also included a victory over the Tempo in Toronto.
Marina Mabrey paced Toronto with 34 points, making 6 of 9 three-point attempts. Laura Juskaite scored 25. The Tempo fell to 9-13 and have now lost four straight.
Tempo coach Sandy Brondello framed the Montreal game as part of the club's national role. "Being the only team in Canada, it's a responsibility for us and how cool is that," she said. "We get to be seen all over Canada. We want to make sure we can come out tonight and celebrate the WNBA and celebrate the Tempo with our new fans."
Brondello said she told her players the night offered a unique opportunity. "We're creating firsts. We say we're Canada's team so we're taking the show on the road," she said, adding that a fan only has to attend one game to fall in love with the sport.
Dallas coach Jose Fernandez also pointed to the broader significance. "It's really special for Canada and for the Toronto Tempo franchise," he said. "It just shows the trajectory of where the WNBA is and what the franchise in Toronto is doing for basketball fans in Canada."
Bell Centre has hosted a women's sports attendance record before. The arena drew 21,105 for a Professional Women's Hockey League game between Montreal and Toronto on April 20, 2024, the largest crowd in that league's history.
Toronto will return to Montreal on Sunday to face New York, and the Tempo are also scheduled to play two games in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dallas hosts Chicago on Sunday night.
