Reserve Aaliyah Edwards scored 21 points as the Connecticut Sun withstood a comeback try by the Portland Fire and hung on for a 90-87 victory in Uncasville, Conn., on Tuesday afternoon.
Edwards scored 15 points in the first half and made 9 of 13 shots overall as the Sun (6-18) halted a two-game skid.
Brittney Griner added 20 in her return from a groin injury as the Sun survived being outscored 24-18 in the final 10 minutes.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 16 and Leila Lacan contributed 14 for the Sun, who shot 52.2% and survived a missed 3-point try at the buzzer by Portland’s Bridget Carleton that would have forced overtime.
Carla Leite led the Fire (10-14) with 18 points and Megan Gustafson contributed 15. Emily Engstler chipped in 14 and Carleton finished with 12 as the Fire shot 48.3% but made only 9 of 26 from 3-point range.
The Sun outscored the Fire 11-4 in the final 3:36 of the first quarter to take a 32-23 lead. Nelson-Ododa sank a 16-footer for a 13-point lead two minutes into the second, Griner’s layup opened a 46-32 lead with 5:37 left and the Sun held a 50-40 lead at halftime.
The Sun took a 15-point lead with 1:42 remaining in the third on a free throw by Raegan Beers and settled for a 72-63 lead entering the fourth after allowing the final five points.
Portland scored the first eight points of the fourth and forced a timeout when Gustafson’s layup cut the deficit to 72-71 with 7:52 remaining.
The Sun again let the lead slip to one with 7:19 left and went up 84-79 on a short jumper by Lacan with 3:23 to play. After Engstler’s 6-footer made it 84-83 with 2:27 left, Edwards sank a 16-footer and a pair of three throws to help the Sun get a 90-83 lead with 73 seconds left.
Carleton sank a 10-footer with 40.9 seconds left to make it 90-87 and blocked a Lacan shot with 20.8 seconds left. Following a Portland timeout, the game ended when Carleton shot an airball on a well-contested corner 25-foot attempt.
–Field Level Media
