Marina Mabrey delivered a historic performance for the Toronto Tempo, tying the WNBA scoring record with 53 points in a 125-97 win over the Los Angeles Sparks, as Toronto reached 9-9 and handed Los Angeles a loss that moved the Sparks to 8-9.
Mabrey, a 29-year-old former Notre Dame standout, equalled the single-game scoring mark shared by Liz Cambage for Dallas against New York on July 17, 2018, and A’ja Wilson for Las Vegas at Atlanta on Aug. 22, 2023, while also resetting multiple Toronto expansion benchmarks.
Mabrey shot 17-of-28 overall, went 9-of-18 from three-point range to match the league record for made threes, and hit 10 of 12 free throws, smashing Toronto’s previous best individual total of 38 points, which Brittney Sykes had reached twice earlier in the expansion club’s first season.
The crowd reaction grew louder as Mabrey left with about one minute remaining, with some initial boos turning quickly into applause in appreciation of the display, and the final seconds played out to chants of “We Want Mabrey! We Want Mabrey!” as teammates completed the Tempo’s highest-scoring game in franchise history.
Guard Julie Allemand supported the record effort with 13 points and 14 assists for Toronto, while Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby each scored 21 points for the Sparks, who struggled to contain the Tempo attack over four quarters despite balanced production from both frontcourt leaders.
Elsewhere, the Seattle Storm ended an 11-game slide by defeating the New York Liberty 99-88, led by rookie Flaujae Johnson’s career-best 28 points on 11-for-23 shooting, with nine rebounds, while Dominique Malonga compiled 20 points and 10 rebounds for a second straight double-double.
Malonga became the youngest player in WNBA history to reach 500 career points and also the youngest to collect 200 career defensive rebounds, achievements that came despite a strong response from New York, where Jonquel Jones scored 26 points and Leonie Fiebich added 19 for the 12-7 Liberty.
WNBA record context as A’ja Wilson leads Aces past Wings
A’ja Wilson, who shares the league’s 53-point scoring record with Mabrey and Cambage, guided the Las Vegas Aces to a 99-84 win over the Dallas Wings with 32 points, preventing Dallas from completing a season sweep and keeping Las Vegas in control for most of the contest.
Chelsea Gray closed with 12 points and nine assists for the Aces, becoming the fourth WNBA player to post at least 4,500 career points and 2,000 assists, now standing at 2,003 assists, while Jackie Young added 20 points, including a four-point play, and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus scored 13.
Dallas stayed competitive behind Paige Bueckers, who tallied 25 points, and Jessica Sheppard, who contributed 22 points and 14 rebounds, yet the Wings could not overcome Las Vegas’s balance, on a night when the league’s scoring record shared by Wilson gained fresh attention through Mabrey’s standout display for Toronto.