The Portland Fire used a stifling defense to beat the Washington Mystics 75-56 Thursday night in the nation’s capital.
The Fire (11-14) controlled the game from the opening tip. Guard Carla Leite led a balanced offensive attack with 14 points. Forward Serah Williams added 12 points in her first start of the season, and guard Sarah Ashlee Barker chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
But it was the collective team defense that played the starring role. The Fire held the Mystics (12-11) to just 29.7% shooting and forced 19 turnovers.
Center Shakira Austin was the lone bright spot for the Mystics. She led all scorers with 19 points to go along with nine rebounds.
When these two teams met on June 28, it took four overtimes and nearly four hours to settle. The Mystics finally emerged with a 124-123 victory in that one, but on Thursday evening, the Fire made sure to set the tone early and take care of business in regulation.
Here are some takeaways from the Fire win.
Strong Start
The Fire were locked in defensively from the opening tip. They applied full-court pressure, repeatedly trapped ball-handlers against the sideline, and sent double-teams and help defenders when the Mystics drove into the paint.
The Mystics did not handle it well. They were totally lost offensively, particularly in the first quarter when they committed nine turnovers, while making only 4 of their 16 shot attempts.
On the other end, the Fire were mostly getting the shots they wanted. They finished the first quarter with a 28-13 lead and quickly extended their advantage to 23 points early in the second quarter. The Mystics made a small run late in the half, but never got closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
Three-Point Disparity
The Fire’s defensive gameplan worked to perfection. They were committed to forcing turnovers and swarming the paint whenever the Mystics went inside. Washington is the second-worst three-point shooting team in the league at 28.7%, and Fire coach Alex Sarama clearly didn’t believe that the Mystics could hurt them from behind the arc.
The Mystics finished the game with just two three-pointers on 21 attempts (9.5%). The Fire made 10 of 35 threes (28.6%) on the other end, and the disparity was too much for the Mystics to overcome.
Containing the All-Stars
There were two WNBA All-Stars in action Thursday night, but neither of them were ever able to get going. The Fire did an excellent job containing Mystics leading scorer Sonia Citron, who torched the Fire for 32 points, including the game-winning basket, the first time these teams met.
But in this game, Citron managed just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting. She missed all five of her three-point attempts and did not score after halftime.
Her teammate and fellow All-Star Kiki Iriafen contributed even less. She finished with two points on 1-of-8 shooting.
The Fire struggled mightily in one key area. The Mystics grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and won the overall rebounding battle 58-35. Ultimately, the Mystics were doomed by turnovers and poor shooting, but the Fire were allowing way too many second-chance opportunities.
Part of the issue was a size disadvantage. Starting center Megan Gustafson was away from the team in preparation for her wedding on Saturday. Williams played well in her place, tallying 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting, but she was no match for the size of Austin and rookie Lauren Betts on the boards. In the end, the Fire were fortunate that the rebounding disparity didn’t come back to bite them.
The Fire finish up their four-game road trip Saturday in Minnesota against the first-place Lynx. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Pacific.