Fire Lose Four Overtime Slugfest with Mystics
Carla Leite scored a career-high 32 points, and hit several buzzer-beaters, but Washington prevailed 124-123.
In a game that took four overtimes until the final result, Portland fought admirably, but fell to the Washington Mystics 124-23.
The close skirmish was foreshadowed after one quarter, with Portland narrowly ahead 31-28 thanks to 52.6% field goal shooting and a 40% three point clip. The Rose City stayed on top early in the second quarter, thanks to stalwart perimeter defense.
First, a Sarah Ashlee Barker swat set up an Emily Engstler attack in transition. After reaching the three point, the veteran wing whipped the ball right to left across her shoulder to Carla Leite, who found Barker open in the corner for three. The second year guard missed her shot, but she was fouled in the act of shooting. Barker proceeded to hit three consecutive free throws, pushing Portland’s lead to 34-30 with 8 minutes left.
The next Washington set had similar results, as Portland stole the ball at the 3/4 court mark, then set up a 3-on-1 fastbreak. Leite drove towards the paint, then dished to Engstler for an uncontested layup. At the next timeout, Portland led 38-32 with 5:53 remaining.
Soon, Washington rallied. Under three minutes to go, Mystics guard Sonia Citron posted up Barker, drawing a foul inside. After swishing a pair of free throws, Portland led by only two. At the two minute mark, Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen tied the game on a post-up jumper.
The tie wouldn’t last, as Megan Gustafson sniped a corner-trey on the next Fire set, and then Portland added two more points on a Barker pick & roll. Shortly before halftime, Bridget Carleton fired up a twenty-three footer. At the buzzer, the Rose City’s expansion team led 55-48.
Halfway through the action, Fire shooting numbers remained impressive. Portland hit 17 of 35 field goals (49%), with an outstanding 7 of 18 mark (39%) from distance. At the free throw line, they were perfect (14 of 14), while they also held the edge in rebounds (17 to 14) and steals (5 to 2). Thanks to her 50% field goal shooting percentage, Bridget Carleton led the Fire with 12 points.
Much like the second quarter, the third quarter featured a tug-of-war as each side went on runs. With five minutes gone, Washington held possession with a two point deficit, and could have snatched the lead without fiesty perimeter defense by Engstler, rookie Frieda Bühner, and others. Soon, a pair of free throws would tie the battle at 58-all with 4:45 left.
Late in the third, Portland’s second-team unit found its stride, with rookie center Serah Williams hauling several rebounds and forward Nyadiew Puoch hitting from long range. After three quarters, Portland held on 67-64.
The final ten minutes marked a bitter fight, with Portland carrying a narrow lead into crunch time. Coming out of a timeout with 3:19 remaining, the Washington second-year guard Citron hooked a jumper from the foul line, slashing the deficit to two.
On the next Portland set, an Engstler low-block post-up jumper was thunderously blocked out of bounds by the Mystics big Iriafen. Later, a pair of Citron free throws pushed the Mystics ahead with 1:34 to go.
Entering today’s game, Portland was 6-1 in “clutch time” games this season, meaning games that had five point margins in their final five minutes. That record was put to the test in the final minute, with Washington up 83-80. After Barker broke free thanks to a Gustafson pick, Portland only trailed by one.
In a scrum for a loose ball, Engstler fouled Mystics forward Michaela Onyenwere, sending the Nigerian six-footer to the free throw line. After the damage was done, Washington led by 3 with 27.5 to go. That margin held until the final seconds, as Gustafson heaved a perimeter prayer that caromed off the iron. After Citron recovered the rebound with 8.1 left, the game hung in the balance.
Miraculously, she missed both free throws, setting up Portland star guard Carla Leite for one of the most iconic moments of her career: after recovering the loose ball, Leite raced down the floor, faked out her defender and fired a fadeaway three that banked off the glass. As the ball swished through the netting, the buzzer sounded. Suddenly, Portland had new life.
Much like the fourth quarter, overtime was a slugfest, as very little separated the two foes. An Onyenwere three was matched by a Gustafson trey, and then another Onyenwere triple put Washington ahead by that amount. Moments later, Leite evened the score at 99 with a net-knocking triple from NBA range. With 18.3 on the clock, it was anybody’s ballgame. After Sonia Citron’s twenty-seven footer clang off the front of the rim, the first overtime period ended without a winner.
Hard, physical defense kept the two teams neck-and-neck throughout double overtime. Just under the two minute mark, a Carleton steal set up Portland with numbers in transition. Leite weaved inside the arc, only to be cut down by a Mystics defender. After an inbounds pass, Leite found Barker, who posted up her defender for a game-tying layup. On Portland’s next set, Leite and Barker connected again, putting the Fire ahead by two.
Washington tied it up on a late layup with 14.9 left, setting up more late-game magic. With the shot clock turned off, Leite calmly walked a dribble from left to right behind the arc, drove up court, kicked out to Carleton on the left wing of the arc, and the Canadian sharpshooter hit glass. When the buzzer sounded, somehow, someway this game went to triple overtime.
The third overtime period built on the tone that preceded it - tired legs, tough defending, and little to separate either side - culminating in a Bridget Carleton game-tying post-up with 3 seconds to spare. The next Washington miss crossed a milestone. For the first time since July 3rd 2001, a WNBA game went to quadruple-overtime.
Trailing once again with under a minute remaining, Portland’s engine Leite drove inside for a game-tying layup, drawing a hard foul. After recovering, the French standout hit one of two free throws. In the final seconds, she lobbed a prayer from the top of the paint, which clanged off the rim. Unfortunately - on a day where the second year star scored a career high 32 points - she would not earn the win. At the final buzzer, Washington won 124-123.
The loss moves Portland to 8-12 on the season. The Fire have several days off before facing the Seattle Storm on July 4th, with tip-off slated for 6 PM at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.
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Matt Bagley is a professional sportswriter and broadcaster 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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