Nyadiew Puoch scored a career-high 19 points Saturday night and the Portland Fire pulled away down the stretch to earn a 100-93 win over the visiting Seattle Storm.
Puoch hit 4 of 7 3-point attempts after entering the game shooting only 17.6% from distance and added three steals as Portland (13-19) won its second straight game. She also drew the defensive assignment on Seattle’s Natisha Hiedeman, who came in averaging 15.9 points per game but tallied just two points on 1-of-4 shooting.
Bridget Carleton added 24 points for the Fire, who put five players in double figures. Jordan Harrison chipped in 13, while Megan DiLeo tallied 11 and Emily Engstler hit for 10.
Jade Melbourne scored 23 points to lead the Storm (6-28) but it wasn’t enough to keep them from losing their 11th straight game. Dominique Malonga added 21 points and nine rebounds, while Jordan Horston contributed 17 points off the bench.
Seattle pulled within 82-78 with 6:35 left in the game on Ava Fam’s 3-pointer. However, Puoch and Carleton nailed consecutive 3-pointers to start a 12-1 run that decided the outcome.
Portland point guard Carla Leite, who compiled 27 points and 11 assists Thursday night during a 97-83 home win over Toronto, sprained her left knee. Leite came back to the bench in civilian clothes, ending her night after just 3:45 of action and four points.
Seattle carved up the Fire’s defense during a 30-point first quarter but couldn’t find the same level of success in the second quarter. Portland outscored its Pacific Northwest rival 29-17 in the period, getting a long 3-pointer from Karlie Samuelson with 1:06 remaining to take a 56-47 lead to halftime.
Puoch drained a 3-pointer at the 6:28 mark of the third quarter to up the Fire’s margin to 66-52. But the Storm rallied, using a pair of free throws from Zia Cooke with 13 seconds on the clock to close within 75-70 going to the fourth.
–Field Level Media
