Marina Mabrey Goes Fully Unrivaled in Philadelphia

Marina Mabrey’s record-breaking performance for the Lunar Owls was an appropriate coda to Unrivaled’s Philadelphia foray.

PHILADELPHIA—Fresh off perhaps one of the finest showings in professional women’s basketball history, Marina Mabrey’s first statements as Unrivaled’s newly minted single-game scoring champion were centered elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of Unrivaled

“Temi [Fágbénlé] had a great game,” Mabrey said when she finally got a look at Lunar Owls BC’s box score, which saw her score 47 points in an 85-75 victory over Rose BC.

It’s hard to cover up a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double from Fágbénlé, but Mabrey’s game for the ages served as a fitting coda to Unrivaled’s Philadelphia foray at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Seeking forward momentum for the cellar-dwelling Lunar Owls (2-6), Mabrey broke loose for 27 points in the opening period alone, creating an early lead that the parliament never relinquished to the defending champions.

“If you’re going to play against [Rose stars] Chelsea Gray and Kahleah Copper, no lead is ever safe,” Mabrey said. “That was very close game. At any point, they can go nuts and take the game from you. So credit to the Rose. They’re really good. But I was really proud of us. I thought that we put a full game together today, and it felt good to be able to come here in Philly and do it.

“Hopefully, for the second part of the season, that kind of fuels us and gives us some confidence to go to games and not be like, we got to get this one, we got to get this one more. We can win this and we know how to do it. Now, we just need to continue to be disciplined in the things that work for us.”

Mabrey’s offensive performance, earned on an 18-of-28 success rate from the field (including 10-of-15 from three, both sink tallies also setting league records), was the obvious stuff of legends, one vital steal might’ve forever defined the evening.

Serving as the second half of a Delco doubleheader, the Lunar Owls-Rose tilt had plenty to live up to after Phantom busted Breeze in a thrilling opener. The obvious draw was Copper, a Philadelphia native who gave Rose a rare homecourt advantage for a league and club that primarily operates in Miami.

But once the ball started flying from the hands of Mabrey like beef from the spatulas of Pat’s and Geno’s, the crowd started eagerly anticipating every Lunar Owls possession. Mabrey flipped the favor of 21,490 “Gladiator”-style, the game taking on the vibes of a March Madness upset as she captured the hearts of the neutral with each passing point.

Marina Mabrey tonight;

47 Points (Single game record—Unrivaled)
10 3PTpic.twitter.com/Gj9ybmyqmi

— Ballislife Bets (@BallislifeBets) January 31, 2026

Marina Mabrey Goes Nuclear in Philly

Lunar Owls head coach DJ Sackmann had planned to remove Mabrey from the final minute of the opening period. By the time it arrived, he was far from willing to play fire extinguisher to her heat check. The shot that gave the Lunar Owls an eternal lead was appropriately monumental, as Mabrey fired away from the cusp of halfcourt to create an 11-10 advantage. It was part of a run of 16 consecutive points for Mabrey, who sank one last triple for good measure to station the lead at 13 at the first period break.

“I just said keep shooting it. Green light,” Sackmann said, recalling the frenzy in the first. “Tonight they were giving Marina a couple easy ones in the beginning, and then she just went crazy. The half-court shot that was not in the game plan, though.”

Lunar Owls BC’s Marina Mabrey on online negativity—and how she uses her mother’s advice to deal with it

“Sometimes that sh*t gets to me… I’m not going to act like it doesn’t… Like any other human. I don’t want people talking bad about me.”

(The Ballers Magazine | YT) pic.twitter.com/0zHLkM0vPj

— haus hoops | wbb (@haushoops) February 1, 2026

Rose upped the pressure afterward, attempting to stifle Mabrey’s traditional 3-point stroke. She acquiesced with an increased paint penetration and physicality. Her takeover of the crowd was essentially completed with Rose creeping back in during the third quarter: leading scorer Shakira Austin did what she could to tug on Mabrey’s cape midway through the period, leading to a tense standoff at the tip-off circle.

After a brief lack of pleasantries, Mabrey excused herself from the would-be showdown and egged on a crowd happy to appease her as she went to the bench. Austin’s infraction would be labeled a common foul, a rare blemish on an 11-of-15 shooting night that yielded, in Mabrey’s words, “31 points and one shot to the chest.” It was clear, however, that the Notre Dame alumna was having fun with the former Lunar Owl, referring to Austin as her “dog” after the playful barb.

How Mabrey Regained Her Confidence

With Napheesa Collier out, Austin is perhaps a reminder of the Lunar Owls’ glory days, which feel like a distant memory after the tepid start to their second season. Mabrey herself admitted that she was lacking “the right headspace” after shooting just under 30 percent from beyond the arc in her first seven showings, leading her to set up a “crash out jar” amidst the stacking pressures.

A combination of logging off and banking trust with her remaining teammates appeared to be the perfect remedy on Friday night. The parliament was limited to four women in the constitutional showcase, as Aaliyah Edwards was also forced out due to injury, but it picked up a major win that was also appropriately capped off by a Mabrey drive before the Rose comeback fully bloomed in the untimed final session.

“I just had a reset and gave my team what we needed,” Mabrey said. “Just the trust my teammates was huge, like they really give me the ball and kind of spread out and trust me no matter what. Temi set some really great screens, and Skyler [Diggins] had some really great input on the actions that get me open. So I can really only credit my coaches and teammates.

“I just stopped reading what people have to say about me, because I honestly really don’t care,” Mabrey said. “I don’t know why I was even reading it at first. Some athletes always say, oh, I don’t care, whatever. Sometimes that [stuff] gets to me. So I’m not going to sit here and act like it doesn’t. So, like any other human, I don’t want people talking bad about me, so when they do, sometimes I get upset, get my head.”

“So, yeah, I got upset. But now I got a break.”

Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags