On a Thursday night in Toronto, Marina Mabrey did what only two players in the history of women's professional basketball had done before her — scoring 53 points in a single game, joining A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage in a place where excellence becomes legend. The Toronto Tempo, a franchise still in its first season of existence, dismantled the Los Angeles Sparks by 31 points and, in doing so, rewrote the record books for regulation-game scoring. What made the moment larger than sport was who was watching: a sister, a former teammate, a witness to a lifetime of work arriving at a single, lumino
Marina Mabrey ties WNBA scoring record with 53 points in Tempo's dominant win
None of this happens without my teammates. They really found me.
Mark
When you're in the middle of a game like that, do the players know they're chasing a record, or does it just happen?
Mimi
By the fourth quarter, everyone knows. The scoreboard tells the story, the crowd's energy shifts, and the coaching staff makes the adjustment. You start running plays to get your best shooter the ball. It becomes deliberate.
Mark
Did Mabrey seem like she was pressing at the end, when she missed those last two threes?
Mimi
Hard to say from the outside. She'd already made nine threes. At that point, you're in a zone where the rim looks enormous, and then suddenly it doesn't. Two misses out of eighteen attempts is still extraordinary.
Mark
What's the significance of her sister being there?
Mimi
Everything. This isn't just a statistical achievement—it's a moment her family gets to witness together. They came up through the same basketball world. That hug on the court after the final buzzer, that's the real record.
Mark
Does this change how people see the Tempo as a franchise?
Mimi
It establishes them immediately. An expansion team's star player ties an all-time scoring record in year one. That's not luck. That's a franchise that was built with intention.
Mark
What happens to her next week?
Mimi
She keeps playing. The record is tied, not broken. There's still one more point to chase.
El Pulso
- Mabrey was unstoppable from the opening tip, pouring in 27 points before halftime and forcing the Tempo's coaching staff to make a simple, obvious choice — keep giving her the ball.
- The Sparks had no defensive answer, and what began as a basketball game quietly transformed into a coronation, with an entire arena holding its breath as a record came into view.
- She tied the mark at 53 points — 17-of-28 from the field, nine three-pointers — but two final attempts rimmed out, leaving the outright record just beyond her fingertips before she was subbed out to a standing ovation.
- The Tempo's 125-point total also shattered the WNBA's regulation-game scoring record, a milestone that underscored just how historic the night was beyond one player's performance.
- When the horn sounded, Michaela Mabrey — Marina's sister and former Notre Dame teammate — ran onto the court, turning a record-breaking night into something that belonged first to a family.
On a Thursday night in Toronto, Marina Mabrey did what only two players in the history of women's professional basketball had done before her — scoring 53 points in a single game, joining A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage in a place where excellence becomes legend. The Toronto Tempo, a franchise still in its first season of existence, dismantled the Los Angeles Sparks by 31 points and, in doing so, rewrote the record books for regulation-game scoring. What made the moment larger than sport was who was watching: a sister, a former teammate, a witness to a lifetime of work arriving at a single, luminous evening.
Marina Mabrey walked off the court at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night having done something only two other players in WNBA history have managed. The Toronto Tempo demolished the Los Angeles Sparks 125-94, and by the final minutes, everyone in the building understood they were watching history unfold.
Mabrey came out sharp, putting up 27 points by halftime. The Tempo's coaching staff made a quiet, obvious decision: keep feeding her. She added 12 more in the third quarter, reaching 39 with a full period still to play. The Sparks had no answer. When she hit her 53rd point, the arena erupted — she had joined A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage in one of the league's most exclusive clubs. The final line was a portrait of a shooter in complete command: 17-of-28 from the field, nine three-pointers, six rebounds, two assists. Two late attempts to break the record outright rimmed out, and she checked out of the game to a standing ovation.
What made the night transcendent, though, was who was in the stands. Michaela Mabrey — Marina's sister and former Notre Dame teammate — had come to watch. When the final horn sounded, she ran onto the court, and the embrace that followed belonged as much to their family as it did to the league.
In the postgame, Marina kept the focus on her teammates. "None of this happens without my teammates," she said. "They really found me." It was the grace of someone who understands that individual records are built on collective effort. The Tempo, in their inaugural season, also set the highest point total in a regulation WNBA game — a franchise that had existed for weeks was already rewriting the history of the league. Mabrey had set the team scoring record just seven days earlier with 37 points. That mark lasted one week.
Marina Mabrey walked off the court at the Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night having done something only two other players in WNBA history have managed: she scored 53 points in a single game. The Toronto Tempo demolished the Los Angeles Sparks 125-94, and by the final minutes, everyone in the building knew what was happening—the home crowd was watching history, and they were rooting for it.
Mabrey came out hot. By halftime, she had already put up 27 points, her shooting touch so clean that the Tempo's coaching staff made a quiet decision: keep feeding her. She added 12 more in the third quarter, reaching 39 points with a full quarter still to play. The Sparks had no answer. The game had become a stage, and Mabrey was the only performer that mattered.
When she hit her 53rd point, the arena erupted. She had joined A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage in an exclusive club, tying a record that had stood as one of the league's most untouchable marks. The final numbers told the story of a shooter in complete command: 17 made shots on 28 attempts, nine three-pointers on 18 tries, six rebounds, two assists. She had two minutes left on the clock to break the record outright, but her last two three-point attempts rimmed out. She checked out of the game with just over a minute remaining, and the crowd gave her a standing ovation.
What made the night transcendent, though, wasn't just the scoring. Michaela Mabrey, Marina's sister, was in the stands. The two had come up together through New Jersey girls basketball, then played alongside each other at Notre Dame. Michaela doesn't get to see her sister play often. When the final horn sounded, she ran onto the court and embraced Marina in a moment that belonged to their family as much as it did to the league.
In the postgame interview, Marina kept the focus on her teammates. "None of this happens without my teammates," she said. "They really found me. For a three-point shooter, you need your teammates to set screens and deliver the pass, and that's what they did." It was the kind of grace that comes from someone who understands that individual records are built on collective effort.
The Tempo, in their inaugural season as an expansion franchise, also made history. Their 125 points set the highest point total in a regulation WNBA game—the previous record of 127 had come in double overtime. Mabrey had set the franchise scoring record just a week earlier with 37 points. That mark lasted seven days. In this league, records are made to be broken, and sometimes they're broken by the same person, in the same season, in front of the people who matter most.
Citas Notables
For a three-point shooter, you need your teammates to set screens and deliver the pass, and that's what they did.— Marina Mabrey, in postgame interview
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