Marina Mabrey Scores 17 in the First Quarter as Toronto's First All-Star

CHICAGO — Marina Mabrey checked in with 5:03 left in the first quarter Saturday night, hit five 3-pointers before the period ended, and scored 17 points in that stretch as Team Coop lost to Team Spoon 129-122 in the WNBA All-Star Game at the United Center.

Mabrey went 6-of-7 from the field in the quarter. Her five 3s came from 23, 28, 24, 25, and 23 feet, according to the official play-by-play, and the last of them dropped with 1.5 seconds on the clock.

She is the first All-Star in Toronto Tempo history. The franchise is in its inaugural season. The league's coaches selected her as a reserve.

"First off, I'm just grateful that the WNBA is expanding outside the United States and bringing more eyes to women's sports," Mabrey said at the postgame press conference. "I'm also grateful for the Toronto Tempo fans who show up every night and prove that people want to watch women's sports."

Mabrey finished with 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 20 minutes. All 23 came before halftime. She shot 9-of-21 overall and 5-of-14 from 3-point range, and she went 0-of-5 after the break.

"I saw a few shots go down early, and that's kind of my thing," Mabrey said. "If they're falling, keep shooting them."

On June 25, Mabrey scored 53 points in a win over the Los Angeles Sparks and matched the WNBA single-game scoring record. A'ja Wilson set the mark against Atlanta in 2023, and Liz Cambage set it against New York in 2018. Wilson played for Team Spoon on Saturday and scored 12 points.

ESPN's broadcast showed Mabrey's sisters in the crowd during her first-quarter run.

"My sisters have always been my biggest supporters, so having them on ESPN and getting to be part of the broadcast in some way was really cool," Mabrey said. "It was special to know they were there watching."

Under Armour produced the "Marina Money" bills handed out over the weekend. Mabrey was asked at the press conference where they could be spent.

"I think it works all over the world — you can use it anywhere," Mabrey said, "but it's probably best if you use it in the club."

Dominique Malonga dunked off a pass from Angel Reese with 6:24 left in the second quarter, the first dunk in a WNBA All-Star Game since Sylvia Fowles in 2022. Mabrey was on the floor.

"I did not get dunked on," Mabrey said.

Team Coop trailed 81-64 at halftime. All 12 lead changes came in the first half, and Team Spoon led by as many as 18 points.

The two rosters combined to attempt 127 3-pointers and make 41. Team Coop shot 21-of-66 from beyond the arc, 31.8%, and was outscored 38-11 in fast break points.

Fans, media, and players voted for the starters, and Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon drafted the two rosters. Aces coach Becky Hammon coached Team Coop.

Kelsey Mitchell led all scorers with 28 points for Team Coop. Gabby Williams had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Paige Bueckers had 12 points and 7 assists.

Attendance was 19,783, a sellout and the largest crowd for a WNBA All-Star Game. It was the first All-Star Game held in Chicago since 2022, when the event was played at Wintrust Arena.

Mabrey has averaged 21.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 25 games this season. She has shot 44.0% from the field, 39.2% from 3-point range, and 88.3% at the free-throw line in 29.4 minutes per game.

Toronto is 10-16 at the break, the tenth-best record in the league. The Tempo have lost three straight, are 2-8 over their last 10 games, and sit 11 games behind Minnesota.

Toronto plays at Minnesota on Tuesday.