The Portland Fire came up short against the Washington Mystics 105-100 in an entertaining contest at Moda Center on Sunday afternoon. The Fire led for much of the game, but the Mystics answered every question and were just too tough when it counted. Point guard Carla Leite picked up a double-double with 27 points and 11 assists for the Fire, but the Mystics’ Shikira Austin had 31 to lead all scorers. Austin and Kiki Iriafen both recorded double-doubles for Washington.
The Fire got off to a good start,
taking 10-0 early lead on the strength of stingy defense and pair of threes from power forward Emily Engstler. The Mystics got back into it with strong inside play, tying it up at 18. The end of the first quarter and start of the second saw the Fire build the lead back up to 12 after yet another Engstler make from deep, but offensive boards and second-chance points for the Mystics allowed them to fight back again. When Washington played with two bigs, they caused the Fire problems.
The Mystics were able to take a lead with 2:35 to go in the half, but the teams went into the locker room with Fire holding a two-point advantage. Engstler finished the half with 13 points on perfect shooting from the field.
An excellent start to the second half saw the Fire build a 12-point lead after an 11-0 run. Center Megan DiLeo, quietly had a very good game for the Fire. She decided to turn up the volume on the offensive end during that run, leading the charge with effective play in the paint. Bridget Carleton got the lead up to 14 with a mid-range jumper, a steal on the inbound, and another mid-range jumper. With the Mystics able to get to the free throw line seemingly at will, no lead was safe. After Leite was whistled for… (checks notes) getting elbowed in the face in a loose ball situation, the Mystics converted one of two ensuing free throws to cut the Fire lead to five at the end of three.
The Fire started the fourth quarter consciously trying not to foul. The result was a layup line for the Mystics. In the blink of an eye, Washington turned that five-point deficit into a two-point lead with 6:33 left. The Mystics looked to be closing this one out with ease as they turned up the intensity and led by seven with 4:13 to go. The Mystics opened the door with a reckless close-out on a Carla Leite three-point attempt, resulting in a flagrant foul. Three made free throws were followed by a new Portland possession. An immediate Leite layup cut the Mystics’ lead to just two. As they had done all game though, Washington answered back. This time they extended the lead to 10. The Fire would turn up the heat to make one final push, but the Mystics got over the finish line in spite of some poor free-throw shooting at the end.
Emily Engstler
Engstler matched a career-high with 23 points. She finished 69.2% from the field and shot an incredible 71.4% from deep, going 5-7. After an electric start from deep this season, Engstler had tailed off over the last few months. Perhaps this performance will set the stage for improved shooting for the rest of the season.
Rose the Glitter-Breathing Dragon
Move over Blaze and Douglas Fur, there’s a new mascot in town! Rose made her debut at halftime, a pink dragon wearing a crown of roses, a white Fire jersey, and sporting a pink handbag. Rose rewarded the Fire faithful with some dance moves and t-shirts. Not bad Portland Fire, not bad.
Shakira Austin
Washington’s center was too much to handle for the Fire. She finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and took 13 free throw attempts. As always, the Fire battled hard in the paint, but they simply didn’t have an answer for Austin.
Foul Line Discrepancy
It’s really hard to be competitive when the other team takes nearly three times as many free throws as you do. The Mystics attempted 44 to 15 for the Fire. That converted into a 17-point advantage for Washington. Give the Fire credit for making 100% of their free throws, but the Mystics’ edge was too much to overcome. The Fire have some reason to wonder why they didn’t get more calls, but the continuing problem of not being able to defend bigs without fouling was a bigger story.
Three-Point Shooting
It was fun to see excellent performances beyond the three-point arc. Engstler went 5-7, DiLeo 3-4 beyond the arc. The team as a whole finished shooting 46.4%. Unfortunately they were bested by the Mystics at 50%, albeit on many fewer attempts. If Bridget Carleton had a better night from deep the Fire might have pulled this one off.
Rebounds
The Fire got out-rebounded 48-30. Once again, it felt like just one more rebounder for Portland could have made all of the difference. One of the results of those extra rebounds was that the Mystics won the battle of second-chance points 15-10, the same margin as the final score.
Boxscore
Up Next
The Fire head to Texas to kick off a two-game road trip. First up will be a 5:00PM Pacific tip against the Dallas Wings on Tuesday, August 25. They’ll head to Atlanta to take on the Dream on Friday.
