Las Vegas Aces Fend Off Portland Fire, 88-80
Following his team’s 88-80 defeat to the Las Vegas Aces last night, Portland Fire head coach Alex Sarama opened his postgame presser with a cracked smile and an optimistic quip:
“If you had told me that we would have won the rebound battle by 3, I definitely would not have believed it, so obviously credit to Vegas firstly, of course we want to win every single game, but outside of the turnovers tonight, I think there are a lot of good things, especially on the glass.”
Las Vegas cruised through the game’s first three quarters, leading by 12 at halftime and 17 entering the final frame. Still, Portland fought back.
Down 16 with 8:23 to go, Carla Leite and Bridget Carleton combined on a pick & pop three point play that pulled Portland closer. Two minutes later, rookie Frieda Bühner weaved through traffic and floated one from the high-block. When the action ended, the German international crossed a milestone 100 career points.
Las Vegas closed the door with 5:22 left, as Jackie Young found superstar A’ja Wilson on the edge of the paint. In the blink of an eye, the three-time WNBA champion swished a fadeaway, pushing Las Vegas ahead 80-62.
At the final buzzer, Wilson led all scorers with 32 points on 10/19 shooting, and 3 assists. Her dominant showing extended to the defensive end with 10 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Moda Center’s hosts were led by their outstanding second year point guard Carla Leite’s 13 points, plus double-digit tallies from center Megan Gustafson, reserve guard Teja Oblak, and veteran wing Emily Engstler.
The loss drops Portland to 9-13 on the season, 11th overall in the league standings. Tomorrow afternoon, Portland hits the road to face the Atlanta Dream, with action tipping off at 1 PM PST.
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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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