PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — The Portland Fire narrowly fell to the Phoenix Mercury 94-91 on Thursday night at Moda Center in their first game back from the FIBA World Cup break.
Portland played with a limited roster, missing three starters: Bridget Carleton (left ankle), Megan DiLeo (right finger) and Carla Leite (rest).
The Fire started strong defensively, recording eight steals in the first half and taking a 50-43 lead into halftime. Portland led by as many as 11 points.
The Mercury outscored the Fire 51-41 in the second half. Holly Winterburn gave Portland life with a clutch 3-pointer in the closing seconds, and Phoenix missed two free throws, but the Fire could not complete the comeback.
“The story of the game was those turnovers flipped between the first and the second half,” Fire coach Alex Sarama said. “Six in the first half, and then 11 in the second. That was really how they were scoring and probably why we lost the game.”
Portland has three regular-season games remaining, including one at Moda Center:
Friday, Sept. 18: Fire at Valkyries, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 20: Fire at Sparks, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 22: Fire vs. Valkyries, 7 p.m.