In just their second official game as a franchise, the Portland Fire delivered a classic on Tuesday night, edging the New York Liberty 98-96 at Moda Center on a wild buzzer-beater. Sarah Ashlee Barker chased down an offensive rebound and banked in a putback as the horn sounded, handing Portland its first WNBA win in 24 years and igniting a floor-wide celebration that felt more like a playoff upset than Game 2 of an expansion season.
Bridget Carleton paced the Fire with 26 points, Carla Leite added 21 points and six assists, and Marine Johannes contributed 18. Portland hit 15 of 33 shots from long range and turned New York's 18 turnovers into easy offense, according to the official box score on WNBA.com.
Buzzer-beater Finish And The Lineup Context
With the game knotted at 96 in the closing seconds, Carleton launched a potential game-winning three that came up short. Barker, never giving up on the play, crashed the glass, secured the offensive rebound and nudged the ball off the glass just before the horn to secure the victory. The moment landed with extra weight given the circumstances: the Liberty were short-handed, playing without Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally, and local coverage framed the sequence as a culturally defining snapshot of Portland's long-awaited WNBA return, as reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Coach: "That's Portland Fire 101"
“That’s Portland Fire 101, that’s how we’re gonna play this year,” head coach Alex Sarama said after the win, explaining that he wants opponents to dread making the trip to Portland. Sarama's postgame remarks were captured by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
What The Crowd And City Saw
Portland's return to the Rose Quarter was already turning heads before Barker's putback. Axios reported that the home opener a few days earlier packed in a sellout crowd of 19,335 fans, while OPB noted that roughly 12,300 fans showed up for Tuesday’s contest against New York. That kind of finish is only likely to crank ticket demand even higher as the Fire dig into their inaugural campaign.
Looking Ahead
Portland will not have to wait long to see the Liberty again. The Fire host New York once more on May 14, according to the team's schedule on ESPN, and will try to ride the momentum from Tuesday's dramatic breakthrough. For the official box score and play-by-play, see the WNBA game page.
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