Marina Mabrey tied Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson’s WNBA single-game scoring record Thursday, scoring 53 points as the Toronto Tempo beat the Los Angeles Sparks 125-97.
Mabrey also made nine 3-pointers, tying a separate WNBA single-game record shared by Aces guard Chelsea Gray and several others. That gave the night two direct Las Vegas connections, even as Wilson’s record stayed intact.
“Playing in the WNBA is a dream come true,” she said after the game. “Shout out to my teammates … they found me.”
Mabrey joins Wilson at 53
Mabrey finished 17 of 28 from the field, 9 of 18 from 3-point range and 10 of 12 at the free-throw line. She added six rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes, leaving the game with 1:04 remaining.
The 53-point night tied Wilson and former Dallas Wings center Liz Cambage for the most points in a WNBA game. Cambage first set the record with Dallas against the New York Liberty on July 17, 2018, and Wilson matched it for Las Vegas against the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 22, 2023.
Wilson scored 53 points in the Aces’ 112-100 road win over Atlanta, shooting 16 of 23 from the field and 20 of 21 at the free-throw line. Her 53-point game remains listed by the Aces as a share of the WNBA single-game record.
Gray’s 3-point mark survives too
Mabrey also stopped one 3-pointer short of owning another league record by herself. Her nine made 3s tied the WNBA single-game mark, which Gray matched for the Aces earlier this month.
Gray made nine 3-pointers for Las Vegas in a 105-89 win over the Portland Fire on June 11, finishing with 29 points while tying the league record from beyond the arc.
Mabrey nearly put both Aces-linked records behind her in the same game. Instead, she joined Wilson atop the scoring list and joined Gray among the league’s best single-game 3-point performances.
Toronto crowd wanted one more shot
The moment carried a strange edge late in the fourth quarter. Mabrey received a standing ovation from the home crowd when she left the game, but there were also audible gasps as she walked to the bench with the scoring record still within reach.
As the final minute ticked away, Toronto fans chanted, “We want Mabrey.”
She never returned.
That choice preserved the tie and left Mabrey one point short of passing Wilson and Cambage. It also left her one made 3-pointer short of moving past Gray and the rest of the league’s single-game 3-point leaders.
Aces records have company now
Toronto controlled the game from the opening quarter, scoring 38 points in the first and taking a 63-39 lead into halftime. The Tempo finished 41 of 80 from the field, 20 of 42 from 3-point range and 23 of 27 at the line.
Julie Allemand added 13 points and 14 assists for Toronto, while Maria Conde scored 13. Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby led Los Angeles with 21 points apiece, and Rae Burrell added 17.
Still, the night belonged to Mabrey and to the records she nearly took outright.
For the Aces, Wilson’s place in WNBA history remains secure. Gray’s does too. But both records now have another name attached to them, and Mabrey made sure the league’s record book feels a little more crowded than it did before Thursday night.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
