TORONTO — Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello continued to be impressed by rookie Kiki Rice, who scored 17 points in the Saturday's 93-72 win over the Seattle Storm at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
“She's even better than I thought she would be,” Brondello said after the expansion Tempo earned a second straight win. “She just loves a challenge, and she's a true competitor. She's a winner.”
The Tempo (5-4) selected Rice sixth overall in the 2026 WNBA draft.
Rice, who was fresh off winning the NCAA’s women’s basketball championship with the UCLA Bruins in April, has averaged 13.1 points per game this season for third among WNBA rookies.
Rice was thrust into a big role early in her first season. She started in place of Tempo point guard Julie Allemand, who suffered a groin injury May 15 in a game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Even with Allemand returning from injury Saturday, Rice remained a starter against Seattle (3-6).
“When Julie got injured, it allowed (Rice) to have a bigger role, and she never took a backwards step,” Brondello said. “It says a lot about her commitment to excellence and willingness to take on, and be a very focal point of this team, and how we want to play on both ends of the floor.”
Along with her 17 points Saturday, including 13 in the second half, Rice contributed six rebounds and an assist in almost 28 minutes on the floor.
She was also 9-for-9 from the free-throw line as the Tempo improved to a game above .500. Brondello thought Rice improved as the game went on in attacking the rim, creating in transition and playing more aggressively on defence.
“Kiki just keeps getting better. We're very thankful that she's on this team,” Brondello said.
The Tempo head coach also deployed Rice and Allemand on court together against the Storm. Brondello liked the speed the two guards brought and thought it gave her team the advantage.
“We made some shots. We're sharing the ball. I thought it was good, and that's why we have a team, don't we?” Brondello said. “We always knew Julie and Kiki would play together, but we can go in so many different directions, depending on how the game's going.”
Brondello wouldn’t commit to naming a starting point guard moving forward, saying that both Rice and Allemand will get playing time.
“They're going to play together, as well. You saw that. We want to utilize that, and that is our strength,” Brondello said. “No decision's made. We just keep building Julie up. We didn't want to overplay her tonight, and I think we got some pretty good minutes, and we saw what we're capable of, with her at point guard and pushing the pace, but also playing really good defence.”
Marina Mabrey, who led the Tempo in scoring with 18 points, said she's been impressed with Rice’s ability to step into the league and play with steady composure and energy.
“She puts herself in positions to impact the team in so many ways, like rebounds, steals, running the floor, finding the open player. You can go down the list, all the stuff Kiki does,” Mabrey said. “She's also really fun to play with, like she moves the ball, she helps out, she talks, communicates. She doesn't play like a rookie, and I'm excited to see where her growth goes as she continues to be in this league.”
The Tempo visit the New York Liberty on Wednesday.