Portland Fire Fan? You Need to See What Emily Engstler Did Last Night

HOLY MOLY, what a finish! If you weren't watching the Portland Fire last night against the Dallas Wings, you missed an absolute banger of a game! The Fire finally, FINALLY, snapped their brutal four-game losing streak, beating Dallas 84-83. And get this, it all came down to a clutch free throw from Emily Engstler with just 1.7 seconds left on the clock. Seriously, my heart is still pounding!

Balanced Attack and Clutch Performance Fuels the Fire

This win was a total team effort, and it showed up in the box score. Five starters hit double figures, which is exactly what you want to see when a team is trying to turn things around. Bridget Carleton led the charge, dropping a cool 20 points. Megan Gustafson wasn't far behind with 16 points. And then there's Emily Engstler, our hero of the night, who put up 11 points, including that game-winning free throw. Carla Leite ran the offense with 10 points and 8 assists, while Sarah Ashlee Barker also chipped in 10 points. For a team that was sitting at 7-8 overall and struggling at 1-4 in the Commissioner's Cup, this balanced scoring, especially under pressure, tells you everything about their fight.

A Nail-Biting Finish Against a Tough Wings Squad

This wasn't an easy win, not by a long shot. The Dallas Wings came into Moda Center having won five of their last six games, even with their leading scorer Paige Bueckers sidelined with a right ankle injury. That's a testament to their grit! Arike Ogunbowale was a serious problem for Portland, pouring in 22 points. Azzi Fudd added 18 points, and Aziaha James tacked on 17. Jessica Shepard was a monster on the glass, pulling down 14 rebounds to go with her 13 points. This game was a back-and-forth battle from the first quarter, with the lead changing hands four times. The Fire took a slim 14-13 lead after 10 minutes, and by halftime, thanks to a 10-0 run sparked by Carleton's threes and a Carla Leite triple, Portland was up 44-37. But Dallas wouldn't quit. The fourth quarter alone saw the score tied at 71, 73, and 76! Dallas even took an 80-76 lead after Ogunbowale and Fudd hit back-to-back buckets. Carleton’s three trimmed that lead, Gustafson put Portland up 81-80 with 22.5 seconds left, then Fudd had a three-point play, and Leite tied it at 83 with 11.6 seconds to go. After James missed a jumper, Engstler hit one of two free throws to give the Fire the lead, and Ogunbowale's last-second three misfired. WHAT. A. GAME! Talk about a gut-check win! Snapping a four-game skid in such a dramatic fashion can be a massive confidence booster for the Fire. This kind of hard-fought victory is exactly what a team needs to build momentum. Moving forward, the challenge is to bottle that balanced scoring and clutch energy, and use it to ignite a real turnaround for the rest of the season.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.