Portland Fire Hold on for Second Consecutive Win
Rookie Nyadiew Puoch broke out with a career-high 19 points, and Portland cruised to victory.
Entering tonight, Nyadiew Puoch has played thirty-one games in the WNBA, all this season.
The twenty-three year old rookie from Australia eclipsed double-digits scoring in just three of those contests.
Tonight was different. Tonight, the first year forward set a new career-high, scoring 19 points on 6/9 field goal shooting and 4/7 from beyond the arc. For added measure, Puoch earned a positive plus/minus (+2) for just the 11th time this season.
With their Aussie rookie leading the way, the Portland Fire defeated their arch-rivals from Seattle, 100-93.
The Fire matched the Storm point-for-point in the paint, 32-even, and surpassed their opposition on the fast break 12-to-4. After trailing by 3 after the first quarter, the Rose City’s expansion team raced ahead with a 29-17 run through the second stanza.
In the second half, precise shooting kept the Fire ahead. As a team, Portland shot 51.5% from the field and a white hot 41.7% behind the arc.
Early in the fourth quarter, Seattle trailed by just one possession, 77-75, before Portland wing Bridget Carleton drove into the paint and executed a finger roll. A minute later, reserve guard Jordan Harrison nailed a three pointer, and the Rose City never looked back.
The Fire’s home stand continues Wednesday August 12th against the Minnesota Lynx, with tip-off slated for 7 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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