White Hot Shooting Clips Carry Portland Past Atlanta 102-92
In their double-digit victory, Portland shot 60% from the field and 48% from distance.
All season long, Alex Sarama’s postgame press conferences have harped on two key problems: transition defense, and rebounding.
Today, those flaws vanished behind a flurry of clutch shots, as Portland hit 60% of their field goals and 48% of their three pointers in a thrilling 102-92 road win over the Atlanta Dream.
Sarama’s side set the tone early. Rookie forward Nyadiew Puoch flanked familiar sharpshooting wings Emily Engstler and Bridget Carleton in the starting lineup, starkly contrasting with the modern, shooting-focused lineups that have defined Portland’s season to this point. Thanks to Puoch’s added length alongside breakout center Megan Gustafson, the Fire began the day with a pair of rebounds.
Of course, none of that length or three point shooting would matter without a great point guard. Second year French playmaker Carla Leite was great today: in 26 minutes, Portland’s go-to distributor delivered 13 points, 10 assists, and 3 rebounds. When the buzzer sounded, she crossed double-digit dishes for just the third time this season.
Several moments stood out in the contest. Already up four in the final seconds of the first half, the former Golden State Valkyrie Leite dropped jaws with a step-up, step-back sequence, drawing a foul and three free throws. At halftime, her Fire led by seven.
Through a back-and-fourth third quarter, Portland’s physicality prevailed. Close range baskets from revelatory third rounder Serah Williams and their Spain international Gustafson bumped Portland ahead by eight entering the fourth.
Portland’s expansion team struck the decisive blow with two minutes remaining. First, Carleton found Leite at the halfway line, who slowed their pace to a crawl, walked the ball to the arc, yo-yo’d across her shoulder to Carleton, who rifled quickly to a wide open Engstler in the corner. Suddenly, the Fire led by a game-high eleven point margin.
When the action ended, Megan Gustafson led Portland with 17 points, while Emily Engstler hauled in a team-high 11 rebounds, and the aforementioned Leite put up excellent assist numbers. Together, the Fire’s talents combined for the team’s tenth win of the season, 10-13 overall and 2.5 games behind the eighth seed Washington Mystics.
Portland returns to action Tuesday July 14th at 8 AM PST.
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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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