Mabrey ties WNBA record with 53 points as Tempo roll to 125-97 rout of Sparks

Only A’Ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces (Aug. 22, 2023) and Liz Cambage of the Dallas Wings (July 17, 2018) had previously hit that mark. In the short history of the Tempo, the 53 points are also 15 clear of the previous franchise best, scored on two occasions by Brittney Sykes.

Mabrey become the sixth player in Toronto professional basketball history to reach the 50-point mark. Her nine three-pointers matched a WNBA record — one she already shared from a game earlier this month.

She said she was unaware of the scoring record until sister Michaela Mabrey, sitting on the sidelines, told her she was three points away.

“There’s no stat board in our gym. … 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 said.

The Tempo star finished her night shooting 17 of 28 from the field, nine of 18 from deep and 10 of 12 from the free-throw line. She added six rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes.

Toronto (9-9) climbed back to .500 with the win, while Los Angeles (8-9) fell just under the mark.

“I think tonight was just my night from the three-point line, and from honestly everywhere,” Mabrey laughed. “And then the fans, to end up chanting MVP, I don’t know that I ever imagined that. But it was really a good feeling.”

Head coach Sandy Brondello was equally awed.

“I’ve been doing this for quite some time,” she said. “I’ve never seen that. (Not even from WNBA legend) Diana Taurasi, and she could shoot it really well. I mean, to witness that was amazing.”

Mabrey-mania started right from the first possession of the game as she scored her first basket on a two-point jumper. The 29-year-old poured in 19 points in the frame, a team record for the first quarter.

She now owns the three highest-scoring quarters in the WNBA this season, having also put up 21 in the fourth quarter on June 19 against the Connecticut Sun and 18 in the final frame against the Washington Mystics on June 12.

“I think it’s part of my game,” Mabrey said. “I score in bunches and then sometimes kind of just level out and score in bunches again. But I can’t say enough about my teammates.

“It’s so easy when they’re continually screening for you.”

One of those teammates, Julie Allemand, set a team record of her own by dishing 14 assists without a turnover. She completed the second double-double in Tempo history with 13 points and added six rebounds to boot.

“Julie literally throws the ball right to my pocket, it’s actually wild,” Mabrey said.

It was fitting, then, that the record-tying triple came on a feed from Allemand late in the fourth quarter, leading to a standing ovation from the crowd and a timeout from the Sparks.

Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby had 21 points apiece for Los Angeles.

Allemand said her main priority throughout the game was to get the ball to Mabrey — even at the expense of other open teammates.

“I love to pass the ball, obviously,” she said. “And when you have Marina shooting like that, you just want to pass her the ball. I think (teammate) Maria (Conde) got mad at me three times during the game because she had an open layup, but I was like, ‘No, sorry, it’s not for you tonight.’ Because Marina was feeling it.”

The Tempo and Sparks split a pair of games last May in Los Angeles.

It also tipped off a season-long nine-game homestand for the Tempo, which will continue Saturday at Scotiabank Arena against the Phoenix Mercury and include two contests at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

“I do think we can build a lot of momentum,” Brondello said on using Mabrey’s big night to propel the team forward.

For now, though, the team can bask in a night that won’t soon be forgotten from the expansion team’s first season.

As 41 points became 43, 45, 48 and 50, and Mabrey continued to be unaware of the new-found stakes, the buzz in the crowd began to build. When she hit 53, it brought the house down.

Mabrey, though, was exhausted. Plus, the game was out of reach.

“She wanted to come out,” Brondello said. “I said ‘No, no you’ve got to stay in for this record.”

Mabrey did as the coach said, firing up two more three-pointers, which both missed. Then, it was time.

“She was done. She goes, ‘I’m out,’” Brondello said.

When she checked out with one minute remaining, fans briefly booed before erupting into cheers in acknowledgment of her big night. The clock ticked down to zero with chants of ‘We Want Mabrey!’

“Next time,” Mabrey said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2026.

Myles Dichter, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Mabrey ties WNBA record with 53 points as Tempo roll to 125-97 rout of Sparks

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