WNBA regular-season record crowd of 20,996 watches Wings beat Tempo in Montreal

MONTREAL (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 34 points and the Dallas Wings beat the expansion Toronto Tempo 108-95 on Friday night in front of a WNBA regular-season record crowd of 20,996 at Bell Centre.

The game broke the regular-season mark of 20,711 set in Washington on Sept. 19, 2024, against Indiana. The league's two largest crowds — both 22,076 — came in Detroit in the 2003 and 2007 WNBA Finals.

“Being the only team in Canada, it’s a responsibility for us and how cool is that,” Tempo coach Sandy Brondello 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.”

Toronto will face New York in Montreal on Sunday. The Tempo also will play two games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“I said to the team today what a unique opportunity this is. We’re creating firsts. We say we’re Canada’s team so we’re taking the show on the road,” Brondello said. “I always say, a fan has to just come and watch one game and they’ll fall in love.”

Jessica Shepard had 20 points and 17 rebounds to help the Wings (15-8) sweep a four-game trip that also saw them beat the Tempo in Toronto. Arike Ogunbowale also had 20 points, and Azzi Fudd added 13.

Bueckers was 13 of 22 from the field and had six assists and six rebounds.

Marina Mabrey had 34 points for Toronto (9-13), hitting 6 of 9 3-pointers. Laura Juskaite added 25 points. The Tempo have lost four straight.

“It’s really special for Canada and for the Toronto Tempo franchise,” said Dallas coach Jose Fernandez said. “It just shows the trajectory of where the WNBA is and what the franchise in Toronto is doing for basketball fans in Canada.”

The Bell Centre also hosted the largest crowd in Professional Women’s Hockey League history, drawing 21,105 for a game between Montreal and Toronto on April 20, 2024.

Wings: Host Chicago on Sunday night.

Tempo: Vs. New York on Sunday in Montreal.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Toronto Tempo's Isabelle Harrison (21) gestures before of a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings in Montreal, Friday, July 10, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Tempo's Maria Conde (10) drives past Dallas Wings' Awak Kuier (34) and Azzi Fudd (35) during first half of a WNBA basketball game, in Montreal on Friday, July 10, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Tempo's Laura Juskaite (2 ) lays up the ball over Dallas Wings' Alanna Smith (8) during first half of a WNBA basketball game, in Montreal on Friday, July 10, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Tempo's Marina Mabrey, center, celebrates with teammates after drawing a foul against the Dallas Wings during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Montreal, Friday, July 10, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Tempo's Laura Juskaite (2 ) shoots on the Dallas Wings during first half of a WNBA basketball game, in Montreal on Friday, July 10, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s ousted Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called Tuesday for elections to be held even as the war against Russia continues, saying the country was gripped by a crisis of governance.

The move by one of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's most loyal and longstanding team members until recently could become the most significant internal challenge Zelenskyy has faced since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The appeal came in a video address posted to YouTube by Fedorov, who lost his post in July.

“We must find a legal, safe, and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to restore a full democratic process even amid a prolonged war,” Fedorov said.

Zelenskyy’s office did not immediately comment on Fedorov’s address.

Ukrainian law prohibits elections while the country is under martial law, which was imposed on Feb. 24, 2022, the day that the Russian invasion began.

Fedorov said the country was facing a systemic crisis in how it is governed, arguing the current system is oriented toward protecting itself and resisting change. He also condemned corruption among officials without naming anyone, saying it had weakened Ukraine’s ability to fight the war.

Fedorov has said he believes a factor in his removal was an overhaul he led of the Defense Ministry’s procurement system, which oversees billions of dollars in equipment purchases.

“Corruption in wartime is not merely a financial issue. It is a matter of our capability to survive and win,” said Fedorov. “Every single hryvnia intended for defense must work for defense. Not for a private pocket.”

Fedorov released the address hours after Ukraine’s Parliament received a submission from Zelenskyy nominating Yevhenii Khmara to be the new defense minister, Parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said on Facebook Tuesday.

Large crowds of protesters have taken to the streets of Kyiv in support of Fedorov over the past month following his abrupt dismissal. The demonstrations have lost some of their initial force but still draw crowds of thousands during weekend marches, with demonstrators carrying handmade signs demanding Zelenskyy reinstate Fedorov.

People sing and hold up their cell phone flashlights during a rally to protest the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov as Ukraine's Defense Minister in Kyiv, late Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

People stand still for a minute of silence during a rally to protest against the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov as Ukraine's Defense Minister in Kyiv, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

People march during a rally to protest the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov as Ukraine's Defense Minister in Kyiv, late Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

FILE - Ukraine's Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov speaks to journalists during a joint press conference with Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, file)