Marina Mabrey Stats Tonight: Sun guard comes up huge in the clutch to eliminate Caitlin Clark's Fever 

After banking on Marina Mabrey’s historic performance in Game 1, the Connecticut Sun once again leaned on the guard’s offensive skills to knock the Indiana Fever out of the 2024 WNBA playoffs with an 87-81 victory in Game 2.

Marina Mabrey came up big in the closing minutes. As Indiana went on a 12-2 run, capped by a Caitlin Clark 3-pointer to take a 71-70 lead, Mabrey stopped the Fever’s momentum by sinking a 3-pointer of her own with 3:30 remaining.

With 1:28 to go, Mabrey made a crucial defensive play on Caitlin Clark, which eventually forced a Fever turnover.

Then, with just 45.5 seconds left, Mabrey hit another 3-pointer, extending Connecticut's lead to 81-77.

Below are Mabrey's Game 2 stats, where she scored 17 points, the second-highest for the Sun:

PLAYER	MIN	PTS	FGM-A	FG%	REB	AST	3PM-A	3P%	FTM-A	FT%	=+/-	OREB	DREB	PF	STL	TO	BS
M. Mabrey	39:10:00	17.0	6-18	33.3	2	6	3-10	30.0	2-2	100.0	4	2	0	4	0	2	2

Mabrey’s Game 1 performance was historic, leading the team with a game-high 27 points, setting a WNBA playoff record for most points scored off the bench.

Her record-breaking 27 points came on 9-of-20 shooting, including 5-of-12 from deep. She was perfect from the free throw line (4-for-4), contributing three assists and three rebounds.

Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey acquisition likened to Celtics adding Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis

Marina Mabrey has been a key player for the Sun since being traded from the Chicago Sky in July. During the regular season, she averaged 14.9 points, 3.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds, shooting an impressive 42.4% from 3 in just 27 minutes per game, helping the Sun secure the third-best record in the league (28-12).

On a recent episode of the “On Her Mark” podcast, Sun play-by-play announcer Brendan Glasheen said Mabrey’s impact on the Sun was comparable to the Boston Celtics acquiring Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis in their quest for a championship, emphasizing how perfect her fit was (via Yahoo Sports):

"You have a ball-handler, you have a dynamite shooter, which they've needed desperately these last couple of years to complement DeWanna Bonner and [DiJonai] Carrington and Ty Harris. [Mabrey’s] been everything," Glasheen said.

“Very similar to what we see with those Boston Celtics: It felt similar to what they did when they went and got [Jrue] Holiday or [Kristaps] Porzingis. That kind of move by the Sun in July was very similar," he added.

The Celtics’ acquisition of Holiday and Porzingis, alongside Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Derrick White, proved to be the right formula for their 2023-24 NBA championship.

Glasheen also praised Mabrey for seamlessly enhancing the Sun’s offense while contributing to the team’s overall flow.

"Her shot-making coming off ball screens is very exceptional," Glasheen said. "... The way Marina Mabrey comes around ball screens and uses them to so effectively to create space to shoot the ball is awfully impressive.