Carla Leite scored 23 points and led the Portland Fire to an 88-85 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday night, spoiling a celebration of franchise icon Diana Taurasi's career.
The Fire rallied to beat the Mercury, who had halftime and postgame ceremonies honoring Taurasi, the WNBA's career scoring leader with 10,646 points. Taurasi won three championships with the Mercury over 20 seasons.
The Mercury had a strong start, leading 22-18 after the first quarter. DeWanna Bonner scored six points to guide Phoenix to the lead. She also had 14 points by halftime, and the Mercury took a 42-36 lead into intermission.
Frieda Buhner and Megan DiLeo sank 3-pointers in the third quarter to get the Fire within 64-61 heading to the fourth. Leite shot 9 for 15 and added five assists, while DiLeo had 15 points.
The game came down to the wire, with the Fire making a 6-0 run in the final minutes. Carla Leite had the final two baskets in the run, and the Fire moved in front 81-80 with 1:12 remaining. Emily Engstler and Kahleah Copper traded baskets before Katie Lou Samuelson hit the second of two foul shots with 20 seconds left to put the Fire up 84-82.
Bridget Carleton blocked a shot by Copper and grabbed the rebound with 12 seconds to go, then sank two free throws for a four-point lead after Copper fouled her. Alyssa Thomas buried a 3-pointer, but Carleton sank two free throws to preserve the win.
Leite's performance was crucial for the Fire, who improved to 15-20 on the season. The Mercury fell to 13-23. DeWanna Bonner scored 23 points to lead Phoenix, while Copper had 19 points and seven rebounds.
The win marks a significant turnaround for the Fire, who had struggled earlier in the season. They will look to build on this momentum when they face the Toronto Tempo on Friday.
The Mercury, meanwhile, will try to bounce back from this tough loss when they face the Atlanta Dream on Saturday.
Source: Yahoo Sports