Marina Mabrey Went Nuclear From Deep and Tied a WNBA Record Doing It

Marina Mabrey couldn’t miss on Friday night. And by the time she stopped shooting, she had tied a WNBA record.

The Toronto Tempo guard torched the Connecticut Sun for 37 points on 14-of-24 shooting, including a scorching 9-of-12 from three-point range. That nine made threes ties the single-game record in WNBA history. She did it in 33 minutes off the bench — wait, no, she started. That’s the thing. Mabrey has been a full-time starter for Toronto this season after years as one of the league’s best sixth players, and she’s making the transition look easy.

The Tempo needed every bit of it, too. Toronto trailed 74-64 heading into the fourth quarter. Then they outscored the Sun 37-23 in the final period to steal a 101-97 win.

Mabrey wasn’t alone. Temi Fagbenle put up 19 points and nine rebounds. Maria Conde added 19 points and six boards. Isabelle Harrison chipped in 15 points and six rebounds. But Friday was Mabrey’s night.

How a Record Night Unfolded

She got hot early and never really cooled off. By the end of the third quarter she already had six threes. The Sun tried to run her off the line in the fourth but she kept finding space. Her ninth three came with about four minutes left and pulled Toronto within striking distance. The crowd — what there was of it on a Friday in June — knew they were watching something special.

The win pushes Toronto to 8-8 on the season, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference. That puts them ahead of the Mystics and the Sky, but still trailing the Fever and the Liberty. For a team that’s still figuring out its identity in Mabrey’s first year with the club, an 8-8 start with a historic individual performance mixed in isn’t bad.

Mabrey is in her eighth WNBA season now. She’s always been a shooter — that’s never been the question. But this version of her, as a starter with a green light and a team that runs stuff for her, looks different. She’s averaging career highs in minutes and scoring, and nights like Friday are why Toronto traded for her in the first place.

The Tempo head to Atlanta next. They face the Dream on June 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET. If Mabrey is still feeling it, the Dream might have a long night ahead.