'Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey tied the single-game individual record in the WNBA. With her 53-point outburst on Thursday, June 25, the Tempo star is now tied with A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage for the record.

Mabrey has been one of the top two players on her team throughout their inaugural season. Even though she has been playing her best offensive game this year, Mabrey's latest performance stunned her coach, Sandy Brondello.

"I've never seen anything like that, even with Diana Taurasi," Brondello told reporters, according to TSN Sports' Chelsea Leite on X.

The mere comparison of arguably the greatest WNBA player says a lot about Mabrey's performance. Taurasi was the league's best offensive player for over a decade, and she couldn't achieve this feat. That puts Mabrey's performance into perspective.

Mabrey shot 17 of 28 from the field, including 9 of 18 from the 3-point line. She also added 6 rebounds and 2 assists in a 125-97 win over the Sparks.

Among all three players with 53 points, Mabrey took the fewest minutes (32) to reach the historic mark.

But for Mabrey, her favorite moment from the historic night didn't unfold on the basketball court.

Despite a historic night, the MVP chant steals the show for Marina Mabrey

Thursday's game also marked the second time this week that Mabrey has matched the record for most 3-pointers in a WNBA game (9). While Brondello was stunned watching Mabrey torch the Sparks, there was something else from the night that stood out for Mabrey.

For the first time in her WNBA career, Mabrey heard fans give her the MVP chant.

"The fans, to have them chanting MVP… I don’t know that I ever imagined that," Mabrey said per Chelsea Leite on X. "It was really a good feeling. Those are the moments that I’m gonna remember about this game more than anything."

Averaging 21.2 points in 17 games, Mabrey is currently tied with Caitlin Clark in the points per game category. She is the only player in the league this season with six 20-point, two 30-point and a 50-point game.

Along with 3.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, Mabrey is shooting 45.9% from the field, including 40.3% from the 3-point line.

In their inaugural season, the Toronto Tempo is currently ranked 9th in the league with a 9-9 record. Even if they end their season with subpar achievement, the Tempo might have found a franchise star in Mabrey that they can build around.

Read more at Her Sports Nation!

Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi