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 as Seattle took its 12th loss in 13 games. Standout rookie guard Flau’jae Johnson was sidelined by an ankle injury for the second consecutive game.
–Field Level Media
