Dallas Wings Outlast Portland Fire, 101-97
Despite 21 points from newlywed Megan DiLeo and 18 points from Bridget Carleton, Portland fell just short of the win.
In her first game back since getting married, Portland Fire starting center Megan DiLeo, née Gustafson, reached twenty-plus points for just the fourth time in her eight year career.
Despite DiLeo’s brilliance, the Fire fell short at home, 101-97 to the Dallas Wings.
Portland raced out to an 11-3 run to begin the night, with rookie Frieda Bühner and veteran leader Bridget Carleton combining on back-to-back baskets. First, the German second rounder swished from twenty-four feet back. Then, Portland’s Canadian star Carleton drilled a a turnaround fadeaway jumper from fourteen feet out.
Late in the opening period, Dallas tied the game 15-all on a Maddy Siegrist three point strike. One possession later, the Wings snatched control with a Paige Bueckers bomb from behind the arc. The second quarter saw both sides tussle back & forth, before a last-second Carla Leite layup lifted the home ahead 42-40 halfway through the action.
Through one half, Portland shot 50% from the floor, and their newlywed center DiLeo led the scoring with 11 points.
In the third quarter, Dallas rallied. Former NCAA national champion Arike Ogunbowale - no stranger to clutch moments - sank a pair of threes near the 9:00 mark. A minute later, Jessica Shepard nailed a perfect hook shot, and a sixteen-foot jumper, pushing Dallas in front. With less than a minute left in the frame, the Wings’ young superstar Bueckers found Ogunbawale inside, who stepped back and hit another clutch jumper. When the quarter ended, Dallas led 76-69.
With 7:40 to go, a Shepard jumper stretched the deficit to 12. That moment seemingly woke the Fire, who roared back to life with hard, physical play. First, Serah Williams fought for a board and putback bucket with 5:39 left. Then, French phenom Carla Leite and the Spanish international DiLeo combined for a beautiful pick & roll, which sprang Portland’s center free for a layup. At just under 3:00 remaining, Portland trailed by 6. Moments later, a Karlie Samuelson trey cut that margin in half.
The game’s final moments were chaotic. With :32 remaining, Dallas led 99-97, but couldn’t deliver the knockout blow. First, Bueckers missed a jumper. Then, Dallas missed the rebound. In the final moments, Portland could have potentially won the game on a three point shot. Instead, the Fire tried a high-block post-up jumper by their top expansion draft pick Carleton. Her effort shaved the right edge of the rim before mercilessly dropping out, and a late Nyadiew Puoch foul sent Dallas to the charity stripe for two points. After a failed heave at the buzzer, the Wings escaped with a 101-97 victory.
The loss drops Portland to 11-16 overall, 9th in the WNBA standings. The Fire will return to action Tuesday night against the Las Vegas Aces, with tip-off slated for 7 PM PST.
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Matt Bagley is a professional sports journalist with a passion for women’s sports. Outside of work, he cherishes quality time with his birth family, his chosen family, and one very pesky house panther.
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