Led by rookie reserve guard Holly Winterburn’s career-best 20 points, the Portland Fire never trailed and hung on for an 84-82 road win over the Seattle Storm on Friday night.
Seattle rallied to within a single point in the closing seconds and had a shot to win at the buzzer, but Natisha Hiedeman’s 3-point fling from the left wing narrowly missed.
The Fire got a career night from Winterburn, who entered the game averaging 2.5 points per game and with a previous career best of six points. But on checking in midway through the first quarter, she scored Portland’s final 16 points of the first quarter.
Portland was up 10-9 when Winterburn entered the game but ended the first quarter up 26-16. The run included a 3-pointer, a pair of mid-range jumpers, two scores at the rim, and an old-fashioned three-point play as well as a pair of free throws. The only shot Winterburn missed in the quarter was a 65-foot buzzer-beater attempt.
Portland (14-20) picked up its third win in four games with Winterburn shooting 8-for-14, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out five assists and picking up three steals. Bridget Carleton added 14 points, shooting 4-for-10 from 3-point range. Megan DiLeo contributed 14 points and nine boards, and guard Carla Leite returned from a brief injury hiatus with 14 points and six assists.
Seattle (7-29) battled poor shooting throughout the game, finishing at just 33% (27-for-81) overall. The Storm closed on a 10-4 run over just inside of the final four minutes, pulling within 83-82 on a Hiedeman 3-pointer with seven seconds to play.
Reserve Awa Fam paced the Storm with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Ezi Magbegor added 13 points and eight boards. Jordan Horston notched 12 points and 11 rebounds while guard Jade Melbourne also scored a dozen points.
Dominique Malonga struggled to a 3-for-15 shooting night and had nine points and 12 rebounds. Standout rookie guard Flau’Jae Johnson was sidelined by an ankle injury for the second consecutive game.
–Field Level Media
