Carla Leite scored 14 points and the visiting Portland Fire shut down the Washington Mystics in a 75-56 victory on Thursday night in a rematch that failed to match the drama from when the teams met last month.
Serah Williams notched 12 points and Sarah Ashlee Barker added 10 for the Fire (11-14), who won for the third time in their last eight games. Frieda Buhner and Teja Oblak each had nine points off the bench.
This game will not qualify as nearly as memorable for the Mystics as their 124-123 four-overtime triumph against the visiting Fire on June 28, tying for the longest game in WNBA history.
Shakira Austin racked up 19 points for the Mystics (12-11), who were aiming for a three-game winning streak after winning four of their last five. Instead, they became too bogged down offensively. Austin led the team with four assists.
The Mystics shot 29.7% from the field. Washington’s 2-for-21 mark on 3-point attempts included Sonia Citron’s 0-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
Even the Mystics’ sizable rebounding margin (45-30) and 16-7 advantage in scoring on free throws wasn’t enough to overcome other problems. Nine Washington players were charged with at least one turnover.
Portland outscored the Mystics 16-11 in the fourth quarter.
Washington’s offensive woes began early. A few minutes into the second quarter, the Fire had connected on four 3-point shots while the Mystics had a total of four field goals. That largely accounted for Portland’s 30-13 lead.
The margin grew to 23 in the second quarter. The Mystics managed a couple of mini-rallies in the second half, pulling within 61-48 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
The gap widened again courtesy of Karlie Samuelson’s 3-point basket and Leite’s jumper.
Washington was held to less than 60 points for the third time this season — each time occurring during the past month.
–Field Level Media
