Two days ago, the Portland Fire temporarily suspended the contract of point guard Carla Leite, allowing the second year standout to practice with the French national team ahead of the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
In Leite’s absence, her current WNBA team in Portland struggled against her former WNBA employer Golden State. Sunday, the Valkyries defeated the Fire 86-69.
Without their starting point guard, the Fire promoted backup guard Teja Oblak. The 35 year old Slovenian made her first career WNBA start, and head coach Alex Sarama took time out of his postgame comments to praise her efforts.
“I’m really glad I had the chance to coach Teja this year, and I think it’s a lot of stuff that media, fans, don’t always see: the IQ, the savvy, the mentorship, how she’s helped Carla [Leite], Jordan [Harrison], this year. I don’t think you can put a price on that.”
Still, Oblak’s presence was not enough. Portland set up opportunities for three point shots, but struggled to strike paydirt.
“I think we were 3 of 22 at one point,” said Sarama. “That’s the basketball gods punishing us for the Atlanta game. We’re above expected. It’s how it works.”
As a team, Portland finished 24/62 from the field, and just 10/39 (25.6%) from deep. Cold shooting dug the home team into an early deficit, with Golden State ahead by a football score 28-14 after the first quarter. The Valkyries padded their lead 47-25 at halftime, and cruised through the second half.
The Fire also missed German rookie Frieda Bühner. Like Leite, Bühner’s contract was temporarily suspended so that she could practice with her national team ahead of the World Cup.
Now, the WNBA prepares for a World Cup break. The Fire will return to action on September 17th, facing the Phoenix Mercury. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM PST.