Marina Mabrey tied the WNBA's single-game scoring record with 53 points, shooting 9-of-18 from three-point range, as the Toronto Tempo defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 125-97 on Thursday night.
Record-Tying Performance
Mabrey had previously tied the league's three-point record with nine makes in a win over Connecticut on June 19, scoring a then-career-high 37 points. She surpassed that mark three quarters into Thursday's contest with 39 points, then added 14 more in the fourth quarter to match A'ja Wilson (2023) and Liz Cambage (2018) for the all-time scoring record.
Toronto coach Sandy Brondello praised Mabrey postgame in a video posted by Prime Sports, saying, "I've been doing this for quite some time, and even I haven't seen a shooting performance like that, Marina. It was amazing. You know who you are, you know what you can do and the confidence that you have is great."
Tempo's Dominant Start
Toronto (9-9) never trailed, jumping out to a 19-6 run less than four minutes into the game behind three triples from Mabrey, Maria Conde, and Julie Allemand. The Tempo's lead grew to as many as 35 points, with the team shooting 20-of-42 (47.6%) from beyond the arc.
Conde finished with 13 points on 3-of-5 three-point shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Allemand was a perfect 3-of-3 from deep, scoring 13 points and dishing a career-high 14 assists. Laura Juskaite added 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds off the bench.
Sparks Struggle Without Key Players
Mabrey's nine three-pointers nearly matched the Sparks' total of 11 made threes on 38 attempts (28.9%). Los Angeles (8-9) was led by Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, each with 21 points, and Rae Burrell with 17. Ogwumike added seven rebounds, while Hamby grabbed a team-high nine.
The Sparks were hampered by foul trouble for starting guards Erica Wheeler and Ariel Atkins, and were without rotational forward Cameron Brink due to an ankle injury. Season-long leading scorer Kelsey Plum was sidelined with a leg injury sustained in a Sunday win over New York, leaving the Sparks unable to recover from an early deficit.
