Fire Demolish Fever in Big Win
Portland Got Revenge on Clark and the Fever on Saturday Night
It wasn’t a pretty sight when Portland traveled to Indiana a couple weeks ago. The Fire were held to just 73 points in that contest, and they lost to the Fever by double digits.
On Saturday night in Portland, they flipped the script.
After recovering from an 8-2 deficit early on, Portland put their foot on the gas and never looked back. Megan Gustafson got things going early, igniting the home crowd with back-to-back and one baskets.
A few moments later, Bridget Carleton(returning from injury) hit a 25-foot step-back three, prompting an Indiana timeout. However, this failed to extinguish the Fire’s momentum. Carleton finished a layup off an assist from Frieda Buhner, pushing the lead out to seven. Portland continued to clamp down on the defensive end, holding the Fever to just four points over the final five minutes of the first quarter.
Anyone who expected the Fire’s momentum to come to a halt were proven wrong, as they started the second quarter off the way they ended the first quarter. Emily Engstler got in on the action with a monstrous 30-foot three, doubling it up at 32-16. After a bucket from Raven Johnson got it back within 16, Megan Gustafson continued to excite by hitting a triple.
After Indiana put together a small run, Sarah Ashlee Barker responded with a huge three that swung momentum back to Portland’s favor. Overall, Clark and the fever just had a difficult time getting anything going in the first half. Barker stayed hot, putting up five more points in the remaining time of the second quarter. Indiana had managed to close the deficit, however, and it went into the break with Portland up 50-37.
Out of the dressing room, Portland took this game by the throat. Carla Leite and Emily Engstler found buckets early in the third quarter, and the Fire continued to impress on the defensive end. Despite a couple of threes from Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, Portland never wavered in their offensive rhythm.
After a Carla Leite layup on a tough finish pushed the lead back out to 18 points, the game was never really in doubt from this point on. The Fever showed signs of life at times in the third quarter, but were never able to make much of a dent into the Fire’s lead. The Fire ended up winning this one by a final score of 100-84, setting a new franchise record for points.
Perhaps the most shocking stat of the night in Portland’s upset victory is that superstar Caitlin Clark was held to a total of six points, and shot 1-7 from the floor. Boston and Mitchell both had good nights, but it wasn’t enough for the visitors.
Center Megan Gustafson had a mammoth game for Portland, putting up a season-high 22 points, and shooting a perfect 8-8 from the floor. Engstler had 16 off of 7-10 shooting, and also grabbed ten rebounds for a double-double. Carla Leite, the motor of Portland’s offense, finished with an astounding 12 assists on the evening.