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For the third time in WNBA history, a player scored 53 points.
Toronto Tempo star Marina Mabrey tied the single-game scoring record with 53 points in a dominant 125-94 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday night. Only A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage reached the 53-point mark before Mabrey.
Mabrey, who made nine three-pointers in the victory, helped Tempo set the highest point total scored in a regulation game in WNBA history. The Phoenix Mercury scored 127 points in a 2010 game, even though it was double overtime.
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Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo gestures during the second half of a WNBA game against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto on June 25, 2026. Mabrey tied the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points. (Tara Walton/Getty Images)
Mabrey clearly felt it in this game, scoring 27 points by halftime. Then she added 12 more at the end of the third quarter, giving herself an incredible 39 points.
While the game seemed out of reach, it was clear that Tempo was feeding Mabrey in hopes that she could set a new WNBA record. Mabrey was launching three-pointers and drilling them, and she eventually reached the 53-point mark as the crowd cheered throughout the scoring flurry.
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Mabrey had time to take the record for herself, as there were about two minutes left on the clock to finish the job. However, her final two three-point attempts failed to clear the hoop and she left the game with just over a minute to play.
The crowd gave her a loud roar of approval and a standing ovation, while Mabrey’s Tempo teammates congratulated the veteran on a historic night.
Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo celebrates after tying the WNBA all-time record with 53 points during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto on June 25, 2026. (Mark Blinch/NBAE)
It was also a special night thanks to Mabrey’s sister, Michaela, who played alongside her at Notre Dame after the two rose through the ranks of New Jersey women’s basketball, being in attendance.
Michaela ran straight to the ground after the final horn and hugged her sister in a heartfelt moment that the Mabrey family will surely remember.
Mabrey said in a post-match interview that her sister doesn’t see her play too often, which makes this one even more special.
“None of this happens without my teammates. They really found me,” Marina said. “For a three-point shot, you need your teammates to set screens and deliver the pass, and that’s what they did.”
Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo reacts during the second half of a WNBA game against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto on June 25, 2026. Mabrey tied the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points. (Tara Walton/Getty Images)
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This is the inaugural season for the Tempo, an expansion team that built this team through an expansion draft. Mabrey has been a key cog early in the season, tallying 37 points last week to set the franchise’s highest single-game point total. This is obviously going to be a lot harder to break now.
Mabrey’s final line read 17 of 28 and 9 of 18 from three-point territory for his total of 53 points. She also had six rebounds and two assists in the victory.
