Bridget Carleton and Sarah Ashlee Barker each scored 18 points, and the Portland Fire held on for an 83-82 win over the Connecticut Sun on Monday night in Portland. The Fire, playing without Carla Leite for the second straight game, survived a frantic finish to claim their second win of the season.
Portland led 25-24 after the first quarter but managed only 13 points in the second and went to halftime down four. The Fire answered with a 9-0 run late in the third quarter to move into the fourth tied, then did enough at the line and in the half court to finish the job.
The win came with plenty of offense from multiple spots. Portland had five players score 10 or more points, including Emily Engstler with 15 points on seven shots, Sug Sutton with 12 points and five assists, and Puoch with 10. The Fire also finished with 23 assists on 28 made shots, a sharp contrast to their 23 fouls and a game that was messy for both sides in stretches.
Connecticut had five players score in double figures and got 16 points from Brittney Griner, but the Sun could not overcome 18 turnovers. Portland turned those mistakes into 27 points off turnovers, and that edge proved decisive in a one-point game that swung repeatedly through the second half.
The result fits what Portland said it wanted when it built this roster around a defensive identity in the expansion draft. The Fire have not simply tried to defend; they have tried to make opposing teams miserable, and Monday’s game was a clear example. Even with the late chaos, Portland found enough balance to close out a game that could have gone either way.
The Fire head to Indiana next for a road game against the Fever on Wednesday, May 20, at 4:00 p.m. PST, carrying the kind of narrow win that can settle a young team for a day and sharpen it for the next one.
