CHICAGO -- Nyara Sabally's face lit up with glee when asked the question. The No. 5 pick in the 2022 WNBA draft had just posted a career-high 29 points to eclipse her previous high of 16 scored last June.
So, when did she know it was going to be a good day?
The 6-foot-5 Toronto Tempo center burst out in laughter and immediately pointed to the morning's shootaround, where she had hit her half-court shot during the traditional end-of-practice competition.
"It's always fun," Sabally said after the Tempo's 111-104 win over the Chicago Sky, "especially when you get to do it with a group like that, that celebrates your wins and just hypes you up all game. So, obviously, it means a lot. And just being able to do that with them.
"And especially with Sandy [Brondello]. She's put so much trust in me my whole career. So, it's just feels nice to do that."
Sabally was 11-for-14 from the field and 3-for-4 from behind the arc as the Tempo held on against the Sky. She credited Marina Mabrey (24 points, seven assists) and her teammates for finding her in the right spots off pick-and-rolls and making her job fairly easy.
"I just had to lay it in," said Sabally, who also had six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Injuries hampered Sabally's first four seasons; she missed all of her rookie year after tearing an ACL for a second time in college and played just 17 games because of knee issues in 2025. But with Toronto, she has a fresh start and a new opportunity. Brondello led New York when Sabally was drafted by the Liberty, and the coach jumped at the chance to bring her to the expansion Tempo.
The 26-year-old had her most memorable game in Game 5 of the 2023 Finals with 13 points and seven rebounds to help close out the Minnesota Lynx and win the organization's first and only title.
"We knew she had potential, and it was more about just her getting healthy," Brondello said. "And then, obviously, we had the opportunity to get her in expansion. It was a no-brainer for us. It's an opportunity to show everyone what she's capable of."
Sabally had to leave in the fourth quarter to get an ankle retaped, but she returned and closed out the game by hitting a big 3-pointer with under two minutes remaining when the Sky had cut the margin to five points.
There wasn't much defense played between the two teams, as Brittney Sykes added 20 points and six rebounds for Toronto (4-4), and rookie Kiki Rice finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Maria Conde scored 12 points off the bench.
"For me, she put so much work into it, she's faced so much adversity," Brondello said of Sabally. "So, when great things like this happen, it's pretty special. And she's a very humble, humble, humble player, and I love that about her. She just wants to win, but it's great when good people show what they can do."
Mabrey added, "This is really not that surprising to me ... and hopefully this is just one of many."
Skylar Diggins led the Sky (3-4) with 23 points and nine assists, and Natasha Cloud chipped in 18 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Undrafted rookie Sydney Taylor poured in 27 points off the bench. Chicago has lost three straight and four of five games.
"We couldn't string together consecutive stops in that fourth quarter, and that really did us in," Sky coach Tyler Marsh said. "We've got to put together 40 minutes of defensive basketball, like we did earlier this season."