The Portland Fire won in difficult circumstances against the Seattle Storm on Saturday, 100-93. Bridget Carleton took scoring honors for the game with 24 points, including 4-9 shooting from beyond the arc for 44.4%. Jade Melbourne had 23 in a losing effort for Seattle.
The Storm aren’t known for fast starts, but they came to play in this one. They were especially effective from deep in the first quarter with six made threes on 60% shooting from beyond the arc. The Fire weathered the Storm as it were,
largely by shooting 71.4% from the field in the first quarter. Seattle held a 30-27 advantage after one, but the Storm couldn’t continue to score at that pace, could they?
No they wouldn’t. The Storm struggled out of the gate in the second quarter, not scoring for the first 3 minutes and twelve seconds. The Fire went on a 12-0 run fueled by the energy from rookie point guard Jordan Harrison. Harrison got extended minutes due to Teja Oblak being out with an injury and Carla Leite being in the locker room after a spraining her knee in the first quarter. Leite would not return. Regardless, the Fire took a 9-point lead into the half, with Harrison continuing to hold down the fort admirably at the point, while shooting guard Bridget Carleton set the scoring pace with 12.
Things got worse in one sense for Seattle in the second half when Flau’jae Johnson went down with a horrific looking turned ankle early in the third quarter. They weren’t giving up though, and a 7-1 Storm run at the of the third saw them erode the Portland lead to 75-70. The Storm would start out the quarter by cutting it to just two, but the Fire wouldn’t break and fought back to extend the lead back to a more comfortable 10-point lead with two minutes to go. One last push from the Storm, but Portland held on to win their second in a row.
Here’s what stood out in the game.
Jordan Harrison
Called into action early after just 2:56 of game time elapsed due to the Carla Leite injury, Harrison put in a memorable performance under trying circumstances. With Teja Oblak also out due to injury, Harrison was called on to take on the ball-handling responsibilities in extended minutes. She played 28:29 tonight after not having played more than 13 minutes all season. Perhaps most importantly, she only had three turnovers, an excellent performance under the circumstances. She didn’t just dribble the ball, she also 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal. If a single performance can earn you more playing time, this was it.
Second-Chance Point Disaster
The Fire might have walked away with this one in a rout except for the massive discrepancy in second-chance points. The 14-2 advantage in this category for Seattle is the kind of edge that makes you wonder how the Fire won the game.
Nyadiew Puoch
It’s really fun watching small forward Nyadiew Puoch develop this season. The 6’3” Australian hit some enormous three-pointers in this one, going 4-7 for 57.1%. You’d like to see her pull down more than the two rebounds she had, but that just shows an obvious area for the rookie to improve. She saved the best for last, having a huge impact in the fourth quarter on both sides of the ball, including a momentum-changing steal and an impressive and-one drive. She finished with 19 points and 3 important steals. Early days for her career, but her future is bright if performances like today are anything to go by.
Starter Scoring
The starters carried the weight today, with all but Leite going for double-digts. Leite played less four minutes, but she was more than ably backstopped by her replacement Harrison, who was the only other Portland player in double figures. Give Karlie Samuelson some props for her important nine points off the bench, but this was a game were the starters need to deliver, and they all carried the mail to the destination.
Up Next
The Fire will wrap up their homestand with a tough one on Wednesday. The first-place Minnesota Lynx will be in town on August 12 for a 7:00 PM, Pacific tip.
