Mabrey Makes WNBA History
Marina Mabrey Ties WNBA Scoring Record with 53 Points, Leads Tempo to Dominant Win
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Marina Mabrey scored 53 points Thursday night, tying the all-time WNBA single-game scoring record and leading the Toronto Tempo to a dominant 125-97 win over the Los Angeles Sparks, AP. The former Notre Dame guard went 17-of-28 from the field, hit 9-of-18 three-pointers — also tying the WNBA single-game record — and made 10-of-12 free throws. Toronto never trailed and led by as many as 35 points.
Mabrey joins Liz Cambage (Dallas Wings, 2018) and A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces, August 22, 2023) as the only players in WNBA history to reach 53 points in a single game, AP. She exited the court with 1:04 remaining to a standing ovation at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto.
Mabrey Puts on a Historic Shooting Clinic
Mabrey had already set a career-high of 37 points on June 19 against Connecticut, The Washington Post. On Thursday, she blew past that mark. She had 39 points through three quarters alone, then poured in 14 more in the fourth. Her 60.7% shooting from the field and nine three-pointers made for one of the most efficient high-volume performances the league has ever seen.
Coach Sandy Brondello said she had never seen anything like it. "I've been doing this for quite some time, and even I haven't seen a shooting performance like that," Brondello told The Guardian. "The confidence that you have is great." Mabrey credited the system: "Shoutout to Sandy for getting me in an offense where I can really thrive," she said, per King5.
Toronto's Expansion Gamble Pays Off in a Big Way
The Tempo are in their first-ever WNBA season — the league's first franchise outside the United States. Toronto entered Thursday at 8-9, struggling to find consistency. The 125-97 win brought them back to .500 at 9-9, according to Basketball-Reference. The team opened the game with a 19-6 run in the first four minutes, The Guardian reported, and never looked back.
Julie Allemand was a key partner in the win. The guard recorded 13 points and a career-high 14 assists. The Tempo shot 20-of-42 from three-point range as a team — a 47.6% clip. General Manager Monica Wright Rogers secured Mabrey in the expansion draft, and that move now looks like the best of the offseason, per Wikipedia.
Sparks Undermined by Injuries and Defensive Collapse
Los Angeles was shorthanded. Kelsey Plum (leg injury) and Cameron Brink (ankle injury) both sat out, per The Guardian. Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby led the Sparks with 21 points each — but there was little help around them. Critics pointed to a lack of transition defense as a recurring problem under head coach Lynne Roberts.
Some analysts noted that the Sparks' 97 points was inflated by late scoring in garbage time, per discussions on Reddit. The game was effectively over by the early second half. The loss dropped Los Angeles to 8-9. Both teams now sit within striking distance of the playoff bubble in a tight Eastern Conference race.
Seattle Snaps Skid as Johnson and Malonga Make History
Thursday was a big night beyond Toronto. In Seattle, the Storm beat the New York Liberty 99-88 to snap an 11-game losing streak, per WRAL. Rookie Flau'jae Johnson scored a career-high 28 points to lead the way. The win offered some relief to a franchise that had struggled through a brutal stretch of play since May 24.
Two other milestones emerged from Seattle. Dominique Malonga, just 20 years old, became the youngest player in WNBA history to reach 500 career points and 200 defensive rebounds, per The Washington Post. Chelsea Gray surpassed 2,000 career points in the same game, according to TSN.
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