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The Connecticut Sun rolled into Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana to face the Fever as the last remaining winless team of the 2025 WNBA season, and they left after finally claiming that elusive victory. However, it was Connecticut's newest duo that stole the show, as Marina Mabrey and Saniya Rivers put the team on their backs with clutch performances to clinch the 85-83 win.
The unlikely pair has developed their close bond and chemistry in a short period of time since Rivers missed training camp and the start of the regular season due to her mother's unexpected passing. The 22-year-old spoke out about how the budding relationship even took her by surprise.
“I feel like this is the most random friendship ever,” Rivers humorously claimed. “I think no one expected it for real, but I think we gel really well. Obviously, I look for her on the court because I feel like she's the best shooter on our team, so I'm going to look to get the ball in her hands.
“But I just feel like we flow. I don't force it, it just happens that she's there,” Rivers continued. “That connection comes off the court, too. We hang out a lot, do TikTok, stuff like that, and I feel like it's really transitioning well onto the court.”
The NC State alum went on to discuss how impactful Mabrey was for her while she was adjusting to the team after Rivers lost her mom.
“When I came back, she was just like anything you need, I'm here. Whether that's a hug or a conversation or whatever,” Rivers explained. “She's just really trying to instill confidence in me to shoot the ball. If I mess up to give myself grace, but also if you mess up, make sure that you mess up [giving] 100%, and I feel like I've been really taking that into account.”
Mabrey, on the other hand, has stepped up as a leader after losing the rest of her starting five from last year in the offseason and requesting a trade. The 28-year-old has become one of the Sun's main veteran presences, and she reflected that in the way she described the win over the Caitlin Clark-less Fever.
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“It was a little scary, but I think that we stayed together as a team this time,” Mabrey said of the Sun's first victory. “That's something that we've been talking about at practice, at film, and there were some hard conversations we had to have, but when you have those conversations, it really helps bring your team together.”
Rivers and Mabrey summed up their unexpected connection that's slowly turning into a part of the bedrock of their team and one of the most heartfelt stories of the Sun's campaign so far.
“I think we're just gelling really well because I'm listening to my vet, and we've just got a good thing going on,” Rivers said of Mabrey.
“I feel like that's what helped us come together at the end,” Mabrey conclusively declared. “Knowing that if we just stick together, we'll come out on top.”
After an embarrassing 100-52 loss to the New York Liberty, the duo will attempt to return to fun times with each other and the rest of their teammates, along with logging win number two, when the Sun are back in WNBA Commissioner's Cup action next on June 6 against the Atlanta Dream.
