The Phoenix Mercury’s first foray against the Toronto Tempo in franchise history was nothing like they expected. Fresh off a win, Phoenix was looking to assert its dominance further. But all they got was a night of domination inflicted on them by two Tempo players, Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes, who headlined the night with a WNBA scoring record.

In the Phoenix game, both Mabrey and Sykes recorded 30+ points in the game. It made them the only teammates in league history to achieve that feat in a team’s first WNBA season. Sykes led the scoring on the night with 31 points. Mabrey, on the other hand, chimed in with 30.

Notably, Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey combinedly accounted for nearly 60% of the team’s 98 points. Sykes didn’t stop there, chipping in with 7 rebounds and 6 assists, and, even more impressively, 0 turnovers. Mabrey, on the other hand, had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal and a block each.

It was a complete performance from the duo that tilted the game in Toronto’s favor. Subsequently, in the press conference, head coach Sandy Brondello also didn’t hesitate to recognize the duo’s efforts for the team.

“Really, really impressive,” Brondello said. “We were so excited when we knew they wanted to come to Toronto, and I think our front office did a great job of putting a really tough-minded team together, and then we got Kiki (Rice), who we really wanted. So, things worked out well, and I think I give a lot of respect to these two here.”

“I mean, they’re great leaders in the locker room, but they’re also great leaders on the court, taking Kiki under their wing but pouring into every single player that comes on the court,” Brondello added.

The Phoenix Mercury game was always going to be a tough ask for the Toronto Tempo. The Mercury was coming off an impressive win against the Chicago Sky. On top of that, they had an array of experienced and in-form players like DeWanna Bonner, Kahleah Copper, and Alyssa Thomas.

And to make things worse, the Toronto Tempo lost their defensive workhorse, Nyara Sabally, to a neck injury for the game. The ESPN analysts had given the Tempo just over a 33% chance of winning the game. But when Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes got into the groove, the predictions flipped.

Mabrey and Sykes had quite a contrasting start to the Mercury game. While Mabrey checked in and scored quite early in the opening minute of the game with a 20-foot step-back jump shot, Sykes didn’t score until the 7th minute. The duo truly came alive in the fourth quarter of the game when the Tempo was trailing behind the Mercury by a point.

Courtesy of Mabrey and Sykes’ combined 13 points, Toronto stitched a 25-point quarter to clinch an 8-point win on the historic night. When asked about the team’s win against the Mercury despite adversity, Sykes gave a bold yet confident answer.

“Well, there’s future Hall of Famers on our team, too,” Sykes said when asked about playing against Mercury players who were possible future Hall of Famers. “I think that the matchup was just fine. And then the coach does a great job with the mentality: next man up. So that’s what we did.”

Marina Mabrey and Brittney Sykes’ performance wasn’t just a one-off for the Toronto Tempo. Their impact is reflected in every game they have played in the season. Before this game, Sykes and Mabrey were averaging around 42 points per game combined for the team.

It immediately adds weight to their presence on the court. But for Marina Mabrey, the Phoenix Mercury wasn’t just a reflection of her scoring spree. Instead, it echoed something far more nuanced.

Marina Mabrey Makes Her Feelings Clear Regarding Her Accuracy From the Three-Point Line

Mabrey’s love affair with three-point shooting isn’t new. In that regard, she’s one of the best in the business, with a career average of just more than 34%. In the 2026 season, she has been scoring at nearly 40% from deep. Even in the Phoenix Mercury game, we saw her go 6-for-14 from beyond the arc.

And after the game, Mabrey spared a moment to thank her teammates for handing her the ball at the best spots.

“I think our coaches have been really great with me, kind of just encouraging me to be aggressive and shoot my threes,” Mabrey said. “And then also my teammates, like they chase after the rebounds on long threes and stuff. So, they kind of gave me confidence. They’re always giving it back, looking for me trying to screen. So, I appreciate them because it’s a lot of hard work.”

The team’s overall performance from beyond the arc was quite impressive. The Toronto Tempo scored 15 of 36 for 42%. It’s much higher than the Phoenix Mercury, who just scored 4 times in 22 attempts for just 18%. Besides Mabrey, Brittney Sykes also nailed 4 from the deep, while rookie Kiki Rice had 2 of 2 in that regard.

This difference in scoring from the three-point line pushed back the Phoenix Mercury immensely. And subsequently clinch a second straight win of the season, improving their record to 3-2. Their away stretch of games continues with a road game against the Minnesota Lynx at the Target Center.