Twelve losses, then one that finally went the other way
Isabelle Harrison finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Toronto Tempo went home with something they had not had since June.
Toronto beat the Portland Fire 82-79 in Vancouver overnight, ending a 12-game losing run. Kiki Rice added 19, Laura Juskaite 15. The Tempo are 11-25. It was also their first win over Portland in three tries between the league’s two expansion sides.
Bridget Carleton led the Fire (15-21) with 18. Megan DiLeo had 14, Emily Engstler 13, Serah Williams 10. Portland arrived on a two-game run of their own.
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A 13-0 run that nearly stole it
Toronto carried a seven-point cushion into the fourth. Ornella Bankole opened with a three to make it 10, and Rice’s and-one stretched it to 12 with 6:26 to play. Comfortable, briefly.
Then Portland scored 13 unanswered, Engstler’s triple capping the run, and led by one with 3:28 left. Harrison and Rice responded with two buckets at the rim to put the Tempo back up three inside the final 70 seconds.
The rest happened at the line. Julie Allemand split a pair with 19 seconds left. Carla Leite did the same eight seconds later. Harrison made both of hers. Engstler’s three at the horn was off.
Marina Mabrey (adductors), Maria Conde and Nyara Sabally (calf) all sat out. Brittney Sykes started and lasted 91 seconds before a foot injury took her off. Aneesah Morrow needed help leaving the floor with 8:40 remaining in the second quarter after hurting her left knee.
Given all that, the first quarter went about how you would expect. Carleton dropped 10 and Portland led 24-16. Juskaite’s three cut it to two, Harrison’s lay-up tied it at 44 before half-time, and a Juskaite jumper put Toronto ahead for the first time at 48-47. They led 66-59 after three, and this time the lead survived.
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