Marina Mabrey Dropped 53 Points on the Sparks and Made WNBA History Doing It

The Los Angeles Sparks had no answer for Marina Mabrey on Thursday night. And that’s putting it mildly.

Mabrey torched the Sparks for 53 points in the Toronto Tempo’s 125-97 win, setting a franchise record for points in a single game. She did it in just 32 minutes of action, shooting 17 of 28 from the field and 9 of 18 from three-point range. She also hit 10 of 12 free throws. It was the kind of night where every shot felt like it was going in, and honestly, a lot of them did.

The first quarter alone was absurd. Mabrey scored 19 points in seven minutes, the highest-scoring opening period in Tempo history. She went 5 of 6 from the floor, 2 of 3 from deep, and a perfect 7 of 7 at the line. The WNBA’s official account posted about it mid-game, and for good reason. She was unconscious.

How the Sparks tried to slow her down

They couldn’t. Nobody could.

Toronto’s offense ran through Mabrey all night, and the Sparks threw different defenders at her with no luck. Switch, double, trap — it didn’t matter. She found seams, stepped into pull-up threes, and got to the line whenever she wanted.

Los Angeles actually had four players score in double figures. Nneka Ogwumike led the way with 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Dearica Hamby matched her with 21 points and nearly grabbed a double-double with nine boards. Rae Burrell added 17 points and four assists. Emma Cannon chipped in 10 off the bench. That’s a solid scoring night for most teams. But it wasn’t nearly enough.

The Sparks dropped to 8-9 on the season, sitting fifth in the Western Conference. They’re above Portland and Phoenix but behind Golden State and Dallas. Not a terrible spot, but games like this show the gap between where they are and where they need to be to make real noise in the playoffs.

Toronto’s win pushed them to a better record and sent a clear message: when Mabrey gets hot, this team can beat anyone.

Los Angeles doesn’t have long to dwell on it. They stay on the road and face the Indiana Fever on June 27 at 8 p.m. ET. Mabrey won’t be there, but the Sparks still have to figure out how to stop someone — anyone — from going off like that again.