Even on a strong scoring night, Marina Mabrey’s name gets swayed in controversies. The game between the Toronto Tempo and Connecticut Sun at the Coca-Cola Coliseum was an absolute thriller on Wednesday. But it was one of Mabrey’s altercations in the game and the subsequent reaction from a Connecticut player that earned the spotlight.

It was the tense overtime frame of play when the altercation unfolded. Toronto had a narrow two-point lead in the game, courtesy of a driving layup from Brittney Sykes moments ago. Mabrey had the ball in her possession in the subsequent play, and Connecticut forward Diamond Miller tried to aggressively slap it away.

Well-known for her outbursts, Mabrey got into a heated exchange with Miller, prompting the officials to step in. Immediately, Mabrey’s former teammate at the Connecticut Sun, Saniya Rivers, also joined the chaos. But instead of fueling the situation, Rivers pushed Miller away from the spot, avoiding an escalation.

The moment instantly became viral on social media, with fans sharing the highlight play on X.

Given the game’s context, the outburst wasn’t surprising. The pressure was on both teams, with Connecticut looking to break away in the remaining time. Meanwhile, Toronto was looking to defend its narrow 2-point lead.

Furthermore, with Mabrey involved, heated exchanges are familiar anyway. We’ve seen in the past how the Toronto guard defends her teammates on the court. Her incident last season with Caitlin Clark, in which she shoved the Indiana Fever player from behind. It left Clark on the ground, which was a clear example of Mabrey’s fierce nature.

Similarly, in her altercation with Miller, Mabrey was locked in a tussle. The exchanges between the two players couldn’t be heard on the broadcast. Nevertheless, it was an uncomfortable and intense situation, as Deyscha Smith, editor of IX Sports, puts it.

“I obviously can’t tell what the exchange was between Marina Mabrey and Diamond Miller from the broadcast, but it looked…intense,” she wrote in an X post.

The officials and, most importantly, her former teammate, Rivers, helped cool the situation. Notably, it was another example of the camaraderie Marina Mabrey and Saniya Rivers share after spending just one year together last season at the Connecticut Sun. During that stint, they became a fan favorite and even appeared together on social media.

“I feel like this is the most random friendship ever,” Rivers had said of their friendship last season, as per ClutchPoints. “I think no one expected it for real, but I think we gel really well.”

Even before the game on Wednesday, Mabrey and Rivers shared a warm hug on the hardwood. They even got into a race to test their speed across the court. But it was Rivers’ moment from the game that exemplified that their friendship isn’t just limited to outside the court or bound by separate teams.

The moment subsided quickly after that brief exchange. And for Marina Mabrey, it wasn’t just Rivers who kept a check on the situation. One of Mabrey’s Toronto Tempo teammates also did the same.

Bittney Sykes Reveals What She Said to Marina Mabrey Late In The Game

While the altercation had its moment, the game was still open to any team. A turnover and an immediate fast break from Connecticut would have enabled them to get their way back in the game. It was important for the Toronto players not to lose their focus.

And that’s what veteran Brittney Sykes advised Marina Mabrey after that exchange in overtime.

“Win the game first,” Sykes said in the post-game presser. “I’m all in for competitor versus competitor. The two were drawn all night. It’s just one of those things where it’s like the next step in our growth where we want to go. It’s like, all right, first let’s move the game and then we can say all the s*** that we want to. You know, time to lock in, and we didn’t want an energy swell.”

Brittney Sykes’ advice eventually paid off. Marina Mabrey and Toronto Tempo kept their poise to clinch a 106-102 back-and-forth win. Mabrey had an impressive stat line, recording 21 points and 3 steals. She went 8 of 20 from the field and 4 of 12 from deep, as per ESPN.

With this first overtime win in the franchise’s history, the Toronto Tempo are now on a two-game winning streak, sitting third in their conference.