Bridget Carleton got hot from 3-point range, Megan Gustafson and Carle Leite added key buckets late and the Dallas Wings (8-5) held their deadliest weapon out of the game as a precaution. It all added up to an 84-83 loss to the Portland Fire (7-8) Dallas would love to have another crack at.
The Wings got off to a brutal start on offense without their resident supernova. Dallas missed its first seven shots from the field before Azzi Fudd caught fire three minutes into the proceedings.
Fudd drove through
traffic for her first bucket of the game before pulling up for a 17-footer with 5:50 left in the first to pull the Wings to within 6-5. On the next possession, Jessica Shepard grabbed an offensive board that led to Fudd’s first 3-pointer of the game to give Dallas the 8-6 advantage. Fudd was the only Wing to hit a shot in the game’s first five minutes, keeping Dallas afloat with her seven early points.
The Fire came into the game surrendering the most offensive boards in the WNBA, and that’s where Shepard excels, of course. She grabbed a couple of early ones to extend possessions and give the Wings’ offense the chance to work itself into form. Portland also turned the ball over five times in the game’s first six minutes, but the Wings couldn’t take advantage of all the extra opportunities.
Fill the void
The Wings needed more out of Arike Ogunbowale and Aziaha James, who made her first start of the season, in the absence of Paige Bueckers, who sat out against the Fire with a right ankle injury. Wings coach Jose Fernandez said in his pre-game comments that Bueckers wanted to be on the floor against the Fire, “but the best thing for her longevity, her career, and the franchise is making sure we take care of her.”
James and Ogunbowale combined to shoot 1-of-10 from the field in the first as the Fire led Dallas 14-13 going into the second. Ogunbowale pulled up for her first 3-pointer of the game in transition early in the second to give the Wings an 18-16 lead with nine minutes to play before the half, but the backcourt was in shambles again before long.
Portland went on a 10-0 run over the next two minutes, fueled by Bridget Carleton and Megan Gustafson, forcing Fernandez into a timeout with 7:19 left in the second after Carleton’s second 3-ball of the frame put the Fire up 26-18. The Fire would increase their lead to 39-29 before Ogunbowale hit her second of the quarter to help the Wings battle back before the break.
Hot hand changes hands
The Fire came into the game averaging eight made 3-pointers per game, but they doubled the Wings up in 3-point makes in the first half, 8-4. Portland shot 8-of-17 (47.1%) from distance in the first half, while the Wings whiffed, shooting just 4-of-17 (23.5%). Ogunbowale and Fudd were the only Wings to connect from long range in the first half.
James couldn’t find the range from outside to start the game, shooting 0-of-5 from 3-point land in the first half, as Dallas trailed 44-37 going into the break. Carleton and Leite combined to shoot 5-of-7 from deep for Portland, while Fudd and Ogunbowale led the Wings with 10 points apiece at the half.
The Wings saw the ball start to fall in the third, though. Fudd hit her third, then found Siegrist for her first, before James finally put one in as well to bring Dallas to within 50-48 with 6:20 left in the third.
Slow break
The Wings want to run — that’s no secret. They came into Saturday’s game first in the league in fast-break points per game, at 12.3. They had all of one point in transition through the game’s first quarter and a half before Fudd found Shepard cutting to the basket on the secondary break for a bucket that brought the Wings to within 26-22.
Dallas is in the middle of a stretch of five games in nine days, and fatigue, compounded by missing Bueckers as an offensive engine, may already be taking a toll. The Wings scored just three fast-break points in the first half.
The Wings did get up to 12 points on the break by the end of the game, but they gave up 14 to the fire in the loss.
Turn the corner
Fudd missed her first shot of the second half, but stole the ball on the ensuing Portland possession and pulled up for her third 3-pointer of the game a few seconds later to trim the 44-37 halftime deficit to four. She found Siegrist open on the right wing a couple minutes later for her first 3-ball of the game to make it 50-45.
James saw one go down to bring the Wings to within 50-48 almost four minutes into the second half, and that seemed to hep her find the rhythm. She forced the issue on a coast-to-coast runner to bring the Wings to within 57-55 late in the third, before tying the game the next time down with another runner in the lane. All of a sudden, a tough night had turned into 15 points for James.
But James’ biggest bucket of the third came with just six ticks left. She got bumped in the lane but sunk the tough jumper to briefly give Dallas a 61-60 lead, but she missed the free throw to complete the three-point play. That allowed Carleton to leak out and sink her fourth 3-ball of the game to give Portland a 63-61 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
Will to win?
If Fudd and James took turns in the third quarter asserting their will as the Wings mounted a methodical comeback, Ogunbowale took the baton to start the fourth quarter. She scored the Wings’ first five points of the fourth quarter before Fudd found Shepard just ahead of the Fire defense in transition for an easy bucket to tie the game once again, at 68-68.
Despite the Wings’ effectiveness in getting to the basket, they kept giving up uncontested 3-pointers on the other end. Frieda Buhner hit her first, a wide open look after a pump fake got rid of James, to put Portland back up 71-68 with 6:34 to play.
Shepard moved in front on a pair of free throws from Shepard with just under four minutes to play, and the game looked like it would come down to Dallas’ ability to manufacture stops down the stretch. Gustafson scored on a leaner in the lane with 3:30 left to tie the game again, 73-73, and Shepard made a big bucket off the sideline inbound the next time down, sinking the free throw to complete the three-point play and put Dallas up 76-73 with 3:15 left on the clock.
Awak Kuier grabbed a steal the next time down as the Portland offense began to sputter late, but Ogunbowale airballed a baseline jumper at the other end. That led to a transition runout for Emily Engstler, who completed a three-point play of her own through the foul of James to tie it once again. Ogunbowale made up for her miss with a methodical post-up move the next time down to give the Wings a 78-76 lead, and Fudd delivered the knockout blow with 1:25 left to play as she shielded the ball from Carleton on her way to the bucket to make it 80-76.
Big moments late
Carleton came off a screen and faded away for her sixth 3-ball of the game with just under a minute remaining, as Alysha Clark gave only token pressure along the perimeter on the play. That made it 80-79, and then, the next time down, the Wings’ pick-and-roll defense failed them. Gustafson rolled to the bucket and scored an easy one on Carle Leite’s eighth assist of the game to give the Fire the 81-80 lead with 22 seconds showing.
Fudd made a perfect back-cut on the other end and scored through Gustafson’s foul, completing the three-point play to see-saw Dallas back in front, 83-81. But there were still 18 seconds remaining, and Portland made the most of it, as Leite drove through the teeth of the Wings’ defense to tie it.
With the game tied, 83-83, James dribbled through the Fire defense and was absolutely mauled by Gustafson as three Portland defenders snuffed out the drive, but no call came. The ball went over to Engstler, and Clark was called for a transition take foul with just 1.7 seconds showing on the clock.
Engstler made one of the two ensuing free throws, Ogunbowale’s prayer of a 3-point heave went wanting, and that was that. The Fire’s four-game losing streak came to an end against the Wings, 84-83, who held their best player out as a precaution. Ogunbowale led the Wings with 22 points and six rebounds in the loss, while Fudd added 18 and James chipped in 17 more. Carleton led the Fire with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from deep in the win.
