Portland’s Fire Burned Brighter Than the Sun on Legacy Night
The Portland Fire are 2-2 after defeating the Connecticut Sun, despite having played the Chicago Sky (3-1) once and the New York Liberty (3-1) twice, two of the best teams in the WNBA so far this season. I couldn’t have imagined a better start to the season.
The Fire are quickly becoming known around the league for their harassing and pesky team defense. Alex Sarama described the game and the team’s defensive pressure perfectly in the post game presser:
“It was messy and it was very scrappy at times, but I always felt like we’re in with a great chance to win that game”.
From the opening tip, the Fire showed they weren’t going to roll over despite being undersized and dealing with key injuries to Carla Leite, Kamiah Smalls, and Megan Gustafson, who left the game late in the second quarter. The Connecticut Sun held a lead for 60% of the game, but it felt like the Fire were in position to win throughout the entire night, they even led 25-24 after the first quarter.
It was the second quarter that gave Portland some issues. Both teams struggled to get things going in the half court throughout the quarter, especially Portland, who once again missed their leading scorer Carla Leite. The Fire were getting good looks, Bridget Carleton was able to take a few wide open threes that just didn’t fall. Emily Engstler and Nyadiew Puoch did a great job of keeping us in the game early on as they combined for 25 points throughout the night. Emily Engstler has especially been hot from three, shooting it at career high rates to start the season, 54.5% from three on the year. However, with Portland only scoring 13 points in the quarter, they found themselves down 52-48 heading into halftime of a game that felt in reach.
If you remove the game the Liberty blew us out, the Portland Fire have outscored their opponents 79-63 in the third quarter of games. Alex Sarama and the staff have clearly displayed the ability to recognize mistakes and make key adjustments during halftime, with Monday’s game vs the Sun being a perfect example. The shorthanded Fire front court struggled to contain Brittney Griner, Aneesah Morrow, and Aaliyah Edwards on the inside as they combined for 40 points, 19 rebounds, and 57% field goal shooting. Portland adjusted by getting even more aggressive with their traps and double teams on Brittney Griner to force someone else to beat them. Not only were the Fire able to slow the Sun’s front court down, they forced Griner, Morrow, and Edwards to a combined 8 turnovers that led to many Fire fast break opportunities. Led by their defense and Bridget Carleton finding her shot, the Fire found themselves tied 64-64 going into the fourth quarter.
Do you believe in Alex Sarama yet? He continues to rave about establishing a unique culture and identity this season as one of the most important season goals. Aggressive on-ball defense and creative traps, lots of threes, timely off-ball movement, and maximum effort are some of the staples of Sarama’s system. We saw that on full display as the Fire forced 18 Sun turnovers, with 6 of them coming in the pivotal fourth quarter. Emily Engstler and Bridget Carleton led that defensive aggression throughout the game, accounting for half of the team’s stocks (steals + blocks) with 7 combined.
I can still hear the “SAB! SAB! SAB!” chants ringing through my ears from last night. Tonight’s win can’t be talked about without mentioning Sarah Ashlee Barker. Barker is quickly cementing herself in Portland Fire history as she’s now claimed the two most memorable moments in the team’s rebirth season. Whether it’s her relentless hustle, her timely three point shots, or her steal that led to an incredible fast break and-one to give us a four point lead with 1:02 left in the game, Sarah Ashlee Barker has given Portland plenty to cheer about. A Sug Sutton (12 points and 5 assist) six foot floater with 22.6 seconds left etched the Portland Fire in history with their second win in a 83-82 victory over the Connecticut Sun.
Thank you for reading! Go Fire!🔥
𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭’𝐬 𝐌𝐕𝐏𝐬:
Bridget Carleton, Sarah Ashlee Barker, and Emily Engstler.
𝐁𝐨𝐱 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞:
𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞:
Portland Fire (2-2) vs Indiana Fever (2-2), 4PM Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Live TV: USA Network).
