Tuesday wasn’t the best offensive night for Marina Mabrey, but the newest member of the Connecticut Sun hit an important bucket when it mattered most. With less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter of a one-possession game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Mabrey received the ball from teammate Ty Harris, dribbled past a screening Brionna Jones and pulled up for the jump shot.
Mabrey went 2-for-6 on the evening, but that clutch shot was part of a run of 14 unanswered Sun points that clinched their historic victory in the first WNBA game hosted in Boston’s TD Garden.
Midseason trades aren’t typical in the WNBA because of the hard salary cap, but Connecticut’s acquisition of Mabrey on July 17 made clear it would not sit idly by in the hopes of winning the franchise’s first championship. The former Notre Dame standout was brought in to bolster the backcourt, particularly to add 3-point shooting: Her 2.3 3-point makes per game are more than any Sun player has averaged since…
