Marina Mabrey Shines in Debut for Connecticut Sun

In a dominant performance, Marina Mabrey made a strong impression in her debut for the Connecticut Sun, leading her new team to a 109-91 victory over the Dallas Wings on Friday in Arlington, Texas. The trade that brought Mabrey to the Sun during the Olympic break has already paid dividends, as she showcased her skills in a breakout performance.

Mabrey, who played three seasons with the Chicago Sky before joining the Sun, finished with 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists, shooting a team-best 3-for-5 from 3-point range. She was thrust into the starting lineup in place of DiJonai Carrington, who was out due to personal reasons, and quickly made an impact. Mabrey scored 10 points in the first quarter, including two 3-pointers that broke tie scores and gave the Sun the lead.

The connection between Mabrey and superstar Alyssa Thomas was instant, with Thomas dishing five assists, including two to Mabrey, and scoring six points in the opening quarter. Mabrey’s third 3-pointer of the game came at the halftime buzzer, improving her field goal percentage to 5-for-9 and her points total to 13.

While Mabrey led the outside shooting, the Sun as a team shot 54.5% from beyond the arc in the first half, with four different players recording makes. DeWanna Bonner added an impressive effort, getting to the free throw line and scoring 13 points on 8-for-10 shooting.

The shorthanded Sun roster struck a balanced attack against Dallas, with seven different players recording at least three points before halftime. The Wings were led by Arike Ogunbowale with 10 first-half points, but Veronica Burton played significant minutes as the Dallas star’s primary guard and helped limit Ogunbowale to 3-for-8 from the field.

Bonner got hot in the third quarter, shooting 5-for-6 from the field and powering the Sun to a 21-point lead entering the fourth. The Sun didn’t miss a field goal attempt in the third quarter for nearly eight minutes, and four players finished the quarter with double-digit points. Bonner finished with 29 points, a new season-high, and added four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

Thomas looked comfortable in her return from winning a gold medal with Team USA at the Paris Olympics, playing 31 minutes and coming just shy of a triple-double. She logged 12 points, eight rebounds, and 14 assists, and shot 6-for-9 from the field.

The Sun finished the game shooting 57.6% from the field and 55% from 3-point range, both season-highs by a significant margin. It was also the Sun’s first 100-point game of the year, with eight different scorers and five in double figures. Rookie Celeste Taylor, who signed a seven-day contract with the Sun barely 12 hours before the game, played just eight minutes and recorded her first points in a Sun jersey on a long jumper at the end of the third quarter. Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who was questionable entering the game with a right foot injury, went 4-for-5 for 10 points to lead the bench.