After a narrow defeat last night to their expansion sisters Toronto Tempo 82-79, the Portland Fire’s postseason hopes look bleak.
With just 8 games left, the Rose City (15-21) trails 8th seed Dallas (21-16) by 5.5 wins.
Portland started the game with an early lead, 24-16 through the first quarter, behind a strong start from veteran wing Emily Engstler.
“I think she set the tone early on just with the two offensive rebounds, four points, just with crashing in that first quarter”, offered head coach Alex Sarama. “With Em, I don’t think there’s a player in this league who plays harder, and is more gritty than Em, so credit for that. She’s such a tough competitor and we need that that, it’s a really important part of a team identity when you have that, a player like Em bringing it every night.”
Across 30 minutes of action, Engstler finished with 13 points on 5/13 shooting plus 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks.
Over the second quarter, Toronto outscored Portland 28-20, tying the game before halftime. The Tempo controlled their namesake with clutch shooting: with 3:59 left in the half, Canadian guard Kia Nurse swished a trey that cut the margin to 2, and did it again with 1:21 to go. As Toronto’s shots kept falling, Portland upped its pressure on the perimeter, opening up lanes inside. Tempo center Isabelle Harrison leveled the score from point-blank range with 21.4 remaining.
Despite playing with a thin bench - at one point the Tempo were down to 7 players - Toronto found a new gear in the third quarter. Already ahead 56-43 with 4:04 to go, Harrison posted up undersized second round rookie Frieda Bühner, spun free, and padded the home team’s advantage. Minutes later, dribble penetration set up an open three in the corner for French international Ornella Bankole. When the period ended, Toronto led by 7.
Despite a late surge in the fourth quarter, it was not enough. After the game, Portland’s first year head coach highlighted several areas for improvement.
“I don’t feel like we were finding great solutions that we typically emphasize, and that’s why they stayed in it [Toronto’s defense], and it was disruptive. Then just on the ball, I thought we kind of went away from a lot of the stove we’ve done all season with our go screens, and we’re really getting way too slowed down in those end of clock possessions. But I think the main story was obviously the fouling. It was so evident in that end of the second quarter.”
As a team, Toronto shot 26/33 from the free throw line. Portland’s opportunities paled in comparison, going 14/17 from the stripe.
Canadian star Bridget Carleton led the Fire with 18 points on 5/13 shooting, matching the clip of her fellow wing Engstler, and rookie center Serah Williams stood out with 10 points on 5/7 from the field, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Despite their successes, the rest of the team struggled: Portland’s field goal percentage was a mere 38.6%, and they were out-rebounded by Toronto 34 to 27.
Tomorrow, Portland returns to action against the Washington Mystics, with coverage tipping off at 4 PM PST.