TORONTO -- The Sparks were caught in the most major crashout Marina Mabrey might ever have in her career.
Mabrey was relentless from the start, getting bucket after bucket. After 19 points in the first quarter, Mabrey went and tied the record for most points in a WNBA game with 53 huge points. The Tempo were in control from the start and never let up. The final? 125-97.
"I think we ran into a team that shot the ball," Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. "In the first quarter, they shot 81%. Not always was it bad defense. Good offense beats good defense. I'm not saying we played great defense. I'm just saying (Mabrey)'s an incredible scorer and you have to tip your hat to her tonight. She was tremendous. Could we have done better? Yeah. I need to watch the film to be able to answer that (question about defense) with clarity."
Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Jun 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey (3) reacts after making a basket against the Los Angeles Sparks in the first half at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Mabrey was relentless from the start, getting bucket after bucket. After 19 points in the first quarter, Mabrey went and tied the record for most points in a WNBA game with 53 huge points. The Tempo were in control from the start and never let up. The final? 125-97.
"I think we ran into a team that shot the ball," Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. "In the first quarter, they shot 81%. Not always was it bad defense. Good offense beats good defense. I'm not saying we played great defense. I'm just saying (Mabrey)'s an incredible scorer and you have to tip your hat to her tonight. She was tremendous. Could we have done better? Yeah. I need to watch the film to be able to answer that (question about defense) with clarity."
Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Jun 25, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey (3) reacts after making a basket against the Los Angeles Sparks in the first half at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
4 months ago
