Fans in Montreal showed up in record numbers to support the WNBA Friday night.
An announced crowd of 20,996 fans watched as the Toronto Tempo took on the Dallas Wings at the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens.
That set a new bar for attendance at a WNBA regular-season game.
Despite the large show of fan support, Dallas spoiled the party with a 108-95 win over the Tempo behind Paige Bueckers' 34-point night.
It was Toronto’s fourth straight loss, making it the longest losing streak in its inaugural season.
The previous record for a regular-season game was 20,711 fans, set in 2024 in a game between the Washington Mystics and Indiana Fever at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., during Caitlin Clark’s rookie season.
Friday was the first WNBA game in Montreal, and the first of four times that the Tempo will play a home game in a different Canadian city this season.
Jessica Shepard had 20 points and a game-high 17 rebounds for Dallas (15-8), while Arike Ogunbowale had 20 points and seven assists. Bueckers added six rebounds and six assists.
Marina Mabrey led the Tempo (9-13) with 34 points. Laura Juskaite added 25 for Toronto in the loss.
"Tonight was about so much more than breaking a record”, said Tempo president Teresa Resch in a statement. “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. From day one, we've believed this team could unite fans across the country, and tonight they showed the world what's possible. This moment belongs to every fan who filled the Bell Centre, every player who inspired the next generation, and everyone who believed Canada was ready for this. We're incredibly proud, deeply grateful, and even more excited about what's ahead."
It was a back-and-forth battle between two teams battling for the second time in five days, with the Wings now having won both games. Dallas pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Toronto 24-10.
All-stars Bueckers and Mabrey went shot-for-shot in the third quarter, which saw the lead change six times. Bueckers had 11 points while Mabrey had 13 of her own. Toronto held a one-point lead after three.
The Tempo led 56-52 at halftime, led by 19 points from Mabrey. Toronto was without its all-star guard as she picked up her third foul early in the second quarter. She had 17 points in the first quarter but played just 1:38 the rest of the half. Dallas trailed 33-25 after the first.
The overall record for a playoff game is 22,076, which was hit twice in Finals games involving the now-defunct Detroit Shock in 2003 and 2007 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the former home of the Detroit Pistons.
The Tempo will be back at the Bell Centre on Sunday for a game against the New York Liberty.
Takeaways
Tempo: Despite having a 13-point lead at one point in the first half, Toronto could not snap its losing streak.
Wings: After a tough first quarter, Dallas fought back and pulled away in the fourth quarter for its fourth straight win.
Key moment
Alysha Clark’s shot with 6:41 remaining in the fourth quarter gave Dallas the lead for good and was the last of nine second-half lead changes.
— with files from the Canadian Press