Portland Fire Snap Losing Streak with Double-Digit Win
In a 97-83 showing against the Toronto Tempo, Portland got back to their winning ways.
Before last night’s game against the Toronto Tempo, Portland Fire undrafted rookie guard Jordan Harrison had not seen action for three weeks.
Last night, in front of tens of thousands of fans at Moda Center, the sparingly-used developmental player contributed extensively in a 97-83 victory: across 11 minutes, Harrison scored 8 points on 66% shooting, plus 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Her efforts did not go unnoticed.
“It was nice to give Jordan Harrison the credit she deserved just now”, opined Fire head coach Alex Sarama: “I felt like she hasn’t played for a while, and she really was so ready to go. Her attitude was incredible, in turns of even just the turnovers, she had two turnovers, I thought she was making all the right plays, but then the effort to win it back right after [was] just incredible.”
Harrison backed up star point guard Carla Leite, who managed 27 points despite only shooting 5/12 from the field, thanks to repeated aggression on the dribble. Possession after possession, Leite would attack the heart of Toronto’s defense, drawing trips to the free throw line. When the buzzer sounded, the former Golden State Valkyrie had knocked down 15/17 from the stripe.
Buttressed by their contributions, Portland led 25-23 after one quarter, and never looked back. By halftime, the home team ballooned their margin to 14, and the end of the third saw Toronto’s deficit expand to 22.
The loss snaps a five game losing streak for the Rose City’s expansion team, and sets up a fascinating rivalry rematch tomorrow night with the Seattle Storm. Back in mid-June, the Fire came back in the fourth quarter to defeat their figurative older sisters, in a 94-89 thriller.
The game tips off at 5:30 PM PST tomorrow night from Moda Center.
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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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