Sarah Ashlee Barker's Buzzer Beater Earns Portland's First Win, 98-96
The second year guard rebounded a Bridget Carleton miss, then banked in the game winner as time expired.
For the second game in a row, Portland experimented with an unorthodox starting lineup: point guard Carla Leite led the Fire attack, alongside three forwards - Bridget Carleton, Emily Engstler, and Nyadiew Puoch - plus center Luisa Geiselsöder.
Tonight, that lineup helped Portland comeback down double digits, downing the New York Liberty 98-96 in the WNBA expansion franchise’s first ever victory.
Free agent guard Kamiah Smalls, whose activation swayed the waiver of undrafted rookie Jordan Harrison, made her first appearance at the 6:34 mark. A minute later, Smalls nailed a game-tying trey from the top of the arc. When the game’s first timeout arrived with 4:49 left in the opening stanza, Portland trailed 15-12.
Gradually, the Liberty pulled away, with a staggering 50% three point shooting clip to close the first quarter. Shooting guard Marine Johannes, leading the offense in Sabrina Ionescu’s absence, repeatedly converted open looks into long range strikes. At the quarter’s end, Johannes had 8 points, shooting 3/5 from the field and 1/2 beyond the arc. Thanks to her efforts, New York led 27-21.
With 7:38 in the second quarter, Leite walked the ball across the midcourt logo, settled onto the top of the key, then flicked a pass across her hips to Portland’s top expansion draft pick Carleton, who bulls-eyed a lead-snatching three pointer, 30-29 Portland. A minute later, Smalls broke free on a screen from backup big Megan Gustafson, converting an ounce of space into a long distance triple. Suddenly, the Fire led by 33-29.
From there, momentum swung back to the 2024 WNBA champions. New York quelled Portland’s 13-2 run with an intimidating 22-9 run, and suddenly the Fire fell behind by double digits. Still, the Rose City’s expansion team showed perseverance. With less than a minute until halftime, Leite drove inside the paint, swished a layup, and took a hard foul. Moments later, she converted the traditional three-point-play with a twine-tickling free throw. Then at the buzzer, Engstler buried a contested three from the right corner of the arc, locking in a manageable 54-47 halftime deficit.
At halftime, Leite led Portland with 11 points, followed closely by Luisa Geiselsöder’s 10 points. The two second-year players combined to shoot 7/15 from the field (46.6%) and 2/6 from deep (33%). Four Liberty scorers finished the first half in double digits - guards Pauline Astier & Marine Johannes, forward Breanna Stewart, and center Jonquel Jones - with Astier’s 16 leading the way. Each team carried optimism into their locker rooms: New York boasted 54.1% field goal shooting alongside an electric 50% three point percentage, while Portland forced 6 steals, and won the battle of the benches 15-to-0.
Kamiah Smalls’ performance was a key factor in Portland’s bench outclassing their counterparts. Coming out of the break, Fire assistant coach Brittni Donaldson spoke with KPTV Rose City SportsNet, praising the performance of their newest player:
“Yeah, [she’s] been awesome. She’s worked her way back, she’s fought like crazy to get back where she is now, and we’re just really happy with the minutes she gave us that first half.”
For the second game in a row, Portland stormed out of the halftime break. Capping off a 10-2 run in less than 3 minutes, Bridget Carleton stroked nylons from long range, lifting the crowd off their feet, and forcing a Liberty timeout. When the action resumed, the Rose City led 57-56. On their next set, Leite curled through the left elbow, then bounced one to Geiselsöder, and the German international knocked another triple, 60-58 Portland.
From there, the lead yo-yoed. Leite buried a jumper. Johannes drove coast-to-coast for free throws. Then scoring stalled, and New York’s physicality began to overwhelm. Consistently, the Liberty got inside, posting up smaller Fire defenders for high percentage chances. Those interior attacks set up perimeter looks, and Liberty wing Rebekah Gardner buried a three ball.
Through three quarters, Portland trailed 77-70. Not only would they need to come back to win, but they would need to accomplish that feat without their French star Leite, who rolled her right ankle with :29 left in the third period.
Responding to the challenge, the Fire’s three point sniper Carleton found another gear. She began the fourth with a trey, then drew three free throws on a long-range shot attempt with 8 minutes remaining.
No matter what happens for Portland this season, remember this moment: with just over 6 minutes left in action, the injured Leite raced out of the locker room, lined up at the scorers table, and prepared to sub in. The crowd instantly recognized her resilience, rising to a fever pitch. After a Smalls three pointer, the gym shook.
Seconds after action resumed, Leite trimmed the margin with a jumper. A minute later, expansion draft pick Sarah Ashlee Barker found the Spanish post Gustafson inside, who landed a baby hook over her 6’6” foe Jones, tying the game at 89. Responding to a pullup jumper by the veteran Stewart, Leite tied the game with a hard-earned pair of free throws; the injured point guard pried open off a screen, flew down the right flank, and drew a hard foul.
Coming out of the timeout, the Fire took over: crisp passing pushed the ball into Carleton’s grasps, with a wide-open look off the left wing of the arc, and her long range strike stirred the crowd to a frenzy.
With less than two minutes remaining, Johannes hushed the fifteen-thousand in attendance. Out of options, and out of time, the Liberty guard heaved up a prayer, miraculously finding the net for a game-tying three. Then, back-to-back turnovers gifted the lead to New York. With 42.9 left, Alex Sarama called timeout.
The league’s youngest coach drew up another pick & roll for his star point guard Leite, who flew into the lane for a game-tying bucket. With 27.1 to go, Leite had a team-high 21 points.
The final seconds felt like a Hollywood script for the expansion team. First, New York squandered possession on a three in the key penalty, then Sarama crossed his arms with an “X” gesture, signaling for his team to line up with one inbounds passer seeking four shooters behind the arc. Play resumed with Barker bouncing one to Carleton at the logo, who fired a long range heave. Her effort missed - almost certainly sending us to overtime - but Barker snuck inside, won the board, and banked a shot at the buzzer. In that incredible moment, the Fire earned their first win in franchise history. After a brief review, the final score was settled: Portland defeated New York 98-96.
Carleton led all scorers with 26, thanks to an amazing 5/11 three point shooting rate. She also sparked Portland’s transition attack with 4 steals. Battling through a severe injury, Leite chipped in 21 points on 8/14 shooting, and 6 assists. On the other side, Astier earned 24 points.
Barker’s buzzer-beater lifts the Fire’s record to 1-1. Next, Portland will rematch New York, with tip-off slated for Thursday night at 7 PM.
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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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