Marina Mabrey Ties WNBA Record With 9 Three-Pointers in Historic Toronto Tempo Comeback

In a dazzling display of perimeter shooting, Marina Mabrey etched her name into the WNBA history books on Friday night, tying the league's single-game record with nine three-pointers. The 29-year-old guard poured in a career-high 37 points to lead the expansion Toronto Tempo to a thrilling 101-97 victory over the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. The milestone performance was the catalyst for a dramatic comeback, as the Tempo found themselves trailing by 16 points in the second half before Mabrey ignited one of the most explosive offensive stretches of the 2026 season.[1][4][6]

Mabrey was nearly unstoppable from beyond the arc, shooting a blistering 9-of-12 from three-point range. The defining sequence came in the fourth quarter, where she took complete control of the game, scoring 21 of her 37 points in the final ten minutes to erase Connecticut's lead entirely. Her ability to create space off the dribble and pull up from well beyond the three-point line left the Sun's defenders scrambling. Hitting nine threes in a single 40-minute game is a statistical rarity, and doing so with 75 percent accuracy from deep elevates the performance into the upper echelon of WNBA offensive displays.[2][3]

"She's a player who isn't afraid of big moments," Toronto General Manager Monica Wright Rogers noted earlier this year when the team acquired her in the expansion draft, a sentiment Mabrey emphatically validated on Friday. Mabrey's journey to this record-setting night has been one of persistence and adaptation. Drafted 19th overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2019, she has played for multiple franchises and overseas clubs before finding a starring role as a foundational piece for Toronto. Putting the entire offense on her shoulders when the team needed it most proved exactly why the Tempo selected her to anchor their inaugural roster.[4]

While Mabrey was the undisputed star of the night, the Tempo's comeback required a highly efficient collective effort to close the gap. Temi Fagbenle provided crucial interior scoring, shooting a near-perfect 8-for-9 from the floor to finish with 19 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, Maria Conde delivered a vital spark, adding 19 points and six rebounds to help Toronto outscore the Sun 64-47 in the second half. That balanced secondary scoring prevented the Sun's defense from aggressively double-teaming Mabrey on the perimeter during the game's final, decisive possessions.[2][5]

For the Connecticut Sun, the historic individual performance compounded a devastating team collapse. The Sun had executed flawlessly in the first half, jumping out to a commanding 50-37 lead by the intermission. Kennedy Burke led the Sun with 18 points off the bench, while Leila Lacan and Brittney Griner each contributed 16 points to build what appeared to be an insurmountable advantage. The home crowd in Uncasville was energized as the Sun controlled the paint and forced Toronto into difficult, contested shots throughout the first two quarters of play.[3][5]

However, Connecticut's perimeter defense completely unraveled as Mabrey caught fire down the stretch, allowing the Tempo to systematically dismantle their double-digit advantage. The Sun failed to adjust their defensive coverages to force the ball out of Mabrey's hands, repeatedly giving her the sliver of daylight she needed to launch from deep. The defeat marks the seventh consecutive loss for Connecticut, a brutal slide that has sent the team tumbling down the Eastern Conference standings and raised serious questions about their defensive schemes and late-game execution.[2][3][5]

Conversely, the victory snapped a three-game skid for the Tempo, providing a massive morale boost for the first-year franchise. Winning on the road after trailing by 16 points showcases a level of grit and resilience that expansion teams often take years to develop. For a roster assembled just months ago, overcoming a massive deficit against an established Eastern Conference opponent proves that Toronto can compete with the league's established rosters. The comeback victory will likely serve as a foundational building block for the team's culture moving forward.[1][2]

The Tempo will look to carry this momentum into their next matchup as they travel to face the Atlanta Dream on Monday, hoping to string together a winning streak and climb the standings. Meanwhile, the reeling Sun will desperately attempt to stop their freefall when they host the Chicago Sky. As the 2026 season progresses, Mabrey's historic 37-point night will stand as a defining moment not just for her career, but for the arrival of WNBA basketball in Toronto.[2][5]