The Portland Fire avenged a quadruple-overtime loss to the Washington Mystics from June 28, beating Washington 75-56 on Thursday for their largest margin of victory this season. Fire coach Alex Sarama said the win came from two distinct things going right at once.
“I thought our half-court offense and execution were excellent. The coverage solutions were really good,” Sarama said. “Defensively, it was all about disruption. We held Sonia Citron to eight points, and a huge part of the game plan was shrinking the floor as much as possible, playing heavily in the gaps, digging on post-ups and really building a wall so they couldn’t see space to get downhill.”
Portland opened the game on a 28-13 first quarter and had the lead up to 43-20 by the midway point of the second, leading by double figures the rest of the way. Carla Leite led the Fire (11-14) with 14 points and set a franchise record with her 129th made free throw of the season. Serah Williams scored 12 points in her first career start, and Sarah Ashlee Barker set a career high with four steals to go with seven rebounds while drawing the primary defensive assignment on Citron. Barker said the difference from Portland’s earlier loss to Washington traced back to the opening minutes.
“It started with how we opened the game defensively. We were in the gaps, we were more aggressive,” Barker said. “Our identity as the Portland Fire is to be aggressive, be in the gaps and help one another. That’s when we win games.”
Leite, who missed a game-winning look before Washington won the June 28 meeting in a fourth overtime, said the fast start spared her a repeat.
“I was like, ‘Please, no overtime this time,'” Leite said, laughing. “We did a great job tonight. We started the game the right way, and that gave confidence to everyone throughout the game.”
Frieda Bühner set a career high with two blocks and made all three of her 3-point attempts, all in the first half, and Portland finished 10-of-35 from beyond the arc. The 11 wins tie the second-most in a single season in franchise history, matching the 2001 team, and Portland set a franchise record with 505 assists this season. Washington’s 56 points and 29.7% shooting were both the fewest Portland has allowed all year.
Washington (12-11) actually won several underlying battles despite the lopsided score. The Mystics have now held five straight opponents under 80 points, the longest such streak in the WNBA this season, and grabbed at least 45 rebounds for the fifth time this year, tying the league best and making Washington the 14th team in WNBA history to do that in a single season. The Mystics also matched their season high with 19 offensive rebounds. But Washington shot a season-worst 29.7% from the field and went 2-of-21 from 3-point range with 19 turnovers. Mystics coach Sydney Johnson said the collapse was almost entirely offensive.
“They scored only 28 points in the second half. I’m not sure defense was really the issue,” Johnson said. “We’re not going to hold anybody to zero points, and Portland played well. I think there are more things we can improve offensively than defensively.”
Shakira Austin led Washington with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, her 10th game this season with at least 15 points and five rebounds, and her fifth straight game with at least 10 points and five rebounds. Austin said the slow start, more than any single stretch, put the Mystics in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
“It really comes down to our start. We have had games where we have needed to come back and fight our way out of a hole, but tonight it took entirely too long for our energy to get where it needed to be,” Austin said. “We have to protect the ball. We had good defensive stretches where we were able to put together multiple stops, but then we gave the advantage back on the other end.”
Citron scored her 1,000th career point in her 64th game, making her the fourth-fastest player in franchise history to the mark and, at 22 years and 267 days old, the youngest player in Mystics history to reach it. She finished with eight points on a rough shooting night and said the milestone was hard to enjoy.
“It is nice, but with the loss, it does not feel too great,” Citron said. “It is still a nice accomplishment.”
Portland visits the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday. Washington travels to face the Golden State Valkyries the same day.
