The Portland Fire ended a four-game losing streak and earned their first WNBA Commissioner's Cup win with an 84-83 victory over the Dallas Wings at Moda Center, after Emily Engstler made the second of two free throws with two seconds left.
ESPN's event summary verified the game as final, with Portland improving to 7-8 and Dallas falling to 8-5. The game drew 14,612 in Portland.
Engstler Free Throw Finishes Late Swing
Dallas led 83-81 after Azzi Fudd converted a three-point play with 19 seconds remaining. Carla Leite tied the game on a driving layup seven seconds later, and Engstler won it at the foul line.
Bridget Carleton led Portland with 20 points and went 6-for-10 from 3-point range. Megan Gustafson added 16, Engstler scored 11, and Leite and Sarah Ashlee Barker each had 10.
Portland Gets Its First Cup Win
The result gave expansion Portland its first Commissioner's Cup win in five tries. The Fire shot 14-for-31 from 3-point range, a useful edge in a one-point game despite being outrebounded 41-32.
Dallas remained 3-2 in Cup play with two games left before the June 30 championship game between the top teams in each conference, ESPN reported.
Ogunbowale Leads Dallas In Loss
Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 for Dallas. Fudd had 18, Aziaha James added 17, and Jessica Shepard finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
The Wings now host Las Vegas on Monday night, while Portland visits Minnesota the same night. Saturday's final leaves Dallas with Cup ground to protect and gives Portland a first Cup result to build on.