Marina Mabrey tied the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points as she led the Toronto Tempo to a dominant 125-97 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night.

Mabrey’s performance matched the league high previously set by Liz Cambage for Dallas against New York in 2018 and later equaled by A’ja Wilson for Las Vegas in 2023. The scoring outburst helped the expansion Tempo shatter their previous franchise record of 38 points, held by Brittney Sykes.

The 29-year-old guard was unaware of the record chase until her sister, Michaela Mabrey, who was on the sideline, informed her she was three points shy. “There’s no stat board in our gym,” Mabrey said, explaining how she lost track amid her scoring spree. “After you get into a state like that, it’s kind of hard to know what you’re really doing, but my teammates made it known, so I knew I was doing something good.”

Mabrey finished the game making 17 of 28 field goal attempts, including a WNBA record-tying nine three-pointers on 18 tries. She also converted 10 of 12 free throws. Toronto head coach Sandy Brondello recounted how Mabrey attempted to leave the game with about a minute remaining, but the coach insisted she stay on the court to chase the record. After missing two contested three-pointers, Mabrey eventually signaled she was done.

Fans initially reacted with boos when Mabrey left the game but quickly shifted to cheers as the clock expired, chanting “We want Mabrey!” in recognition of her historic night. Mabrey described the crowd's MVP chants as an unexpected and rewarding experience.

Brondello, reflecting on the feat, noted that in her extensive coaching career she had never witnessed such a scoring output, not even from WNBA great Diana Taurasi.

For the Sparks, Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby each scored 21 points, but their efforts were not enough to challenge Toronto’s offensive onslaught. The loss dropped Los Angeles to 8-9 on the season, while the Tempo improved their standing with the decisive victory.