Portland Fire Drop Road Contest at Minnesota
In several years time, the expansion Portland Fire hope to contend for a WNBA championship.
Right now, in mid-July 2026, they could do much worse than emulating the four-time champion Minnesota Lynx.
Thanks to strong runs in the first and third quarters, Minnesota outpaced a Portland comeback bid in the fourth, and defeated the Fire 101-93.
Minnesota guard Kayla McBride scored 24 points - behind 4 three point shots - while moving into the WNBA’s top-20 all-time career scoring list. Aiding her effort, standout rookie Olivia Miles managed 14 points and an impressive 10 assists.
Portland played without perimeter snipers Karlie Samuelson and Holly Winterburn. The Fire also lacked their starting center Megan Gustafson, who missed her second straight game for personal reasons. After the action, head coach Alex Sarama stressed their impact on the final score.
“We never like making excuses, but obviously down two rotational players tonight, important rotational players in Meg [Megan Gustafson] and Karlie [Karlie Samuelson]. We saw that at the end of the third, when they went on a run and extended it to 15 points, I think we had to do it though. This is the last trip of a really taxing road schedule for us, and you could see our starters literally emptied the tank. They gave it their all tonight, and we needed those minutes from our second unit.”
Former Minnesota wing Bridget Carleton, the Fire’s first overall expansion draft pick and unquestioned star player, shot 50% from the field (8 of 16), and also outpaced her teammates on the glass with 8 rebounds. As a team, the Fire shot 48% from the field and 43% from deep, but Minnesota consistently found answers for Portland’s pressure defense, hitting 55% from across the floor.
The loss drops Portland to 11-15 overall. The Fire will play again Wednesday July 22nd at 7 PM PST against the Dallas Wings.
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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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