In sharp contrast to this past June’s four overtime thriller, tonight’s matchup between the Portland Fire and Washington Mystics started relatively tame.
Tied at 18 with less than a minute remaining in the 1st quarter, Portland’s second year star Carla Leite drove inside the paint, lobbed across her body to Megan DiLeo beyond the arc, and the Spain international snatched the lead with a corner trey.
Over the next thirty-one minutes, a flurry of lead changes, momentum swings, and both teams reaching triple-digit scores proved once again that nothing is unexpected when these two teams tip off.
At the final buzzer, Washington won 105-100.
Washington rallied in the second period, with Shakira Austin leading the way. In a two-minute span over the middle of the quarter, the 6’5” center snagged two offensive rebounds, a put-back bucket, a point-blank layup, and a driving layup off a Sonia Citron dish inside. Later in the quarter, the veteran big found netting once again with an 8-foot turnaround jumper, and was fouled in the act of shooting, later converting an and-1. At halftime, the Rose City’s expansion team held a narrow lead, 49-47.
Portland took that halftime lead partly due to three point shooting - they managed to hit 7/12 from downtown - while also repeatedly attacking inside. Through two quarters, every Fire attempt either came from the paint, or the perimeter.
The third quarter featured a small Portland push, nudging the lead back beyond one possession. With exactly 8:00 remaining, Canadian three point sniper Bridget Carleton struck paydirt from 25 feet out, extending the Fire’s edge to 54-48. On their next set, the aforementioned centers DiLeo and Austin fought down low, with Austin earning a foul, and DiLeo subsequently swishing two free throws. Thanks to a Leite layup with 6:59 to go, the home team led by double-digits.
Late in the period, Washington roared back. Trailing by 8 with less than a minute left, rookie guard Cotie McMahon hit a pair of free throws. Right before the buzzer, she knocked down another shot from the stripe. Through three quarters, the Mystics trailed by 5.
In the fourth quarter, Washington cracked the proverbial code to Portland’s defense, burying the home team with a 40 point barrage. First, Citron found Austin for another driving layup. Then the Mystics went back to the well, leaning on their star post player to convert from close range. After hitting her third layup of the quarter, with 8:30 left, Washington trailed by 2. The Fire responded by focusing attention inside, and the Mystics made them pay from long-range. With 7:28 left, Michaela Onyenwere stroked nylons from 22 feet out. Half a minute later, Kiki Iriafen put the road team ahead with a post-up jumper.
While Portland got close - tying the game at 78, then holding a 2 point deficit twice - Washington continued to score inside at will. With less than two minutes left, Austin swished a 7-footer to go up 6. The Mystics looked for her on their next set, and she drew a foul from her Fire counterpart DiLeo. After Emily Engstler fouled her former teammate Michaela Onyenwere, additional free throws padded the deficit to 99-90. Despite a late Portland run - highlighted by a Leite triple in the final seconds that made it a one possession game - Washington finished victorious.
Center Shakira Austin led Washington with 31 points on 11/18 shooting, with a standout performance from the free throw line: 9 makes on 13 tries. She also added 3 offensive rebounds, 7 defensive rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
For Portland, Carla Leite led the way. The second year star put up 27 points across 30 minutes, plus 11 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals.
The loss drops Portland to 15-22, now 6.5 games behind 8 seed Dallas with 7 games left to pass them for the final playoff spot. Coincidentally, the Fire and Wings meet Tuesday night in Dallas, with the contest scheduled for 5 PM PST.