Fire Take Belt in OT Thriller Over Valkyries
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden State Valkyries | 24 | 16 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 82 |
| Portland Fire | 10 | 27 | 21 | 19 | 13 | 90 |
The Portland Fire claimed the WNBA lineal championship belt with a thrilling 90-82 overtime victory over the Golden State Valkyries at Moda Center. After Golden State dominated the first quarter 24-10, Portland clawed back with a 27-point second quarter to take control. The teams battled through a tight regulation that ended tied at 77, before Portland outscored the Valkyries 13-5 in the extra period to secure the belt.
Bridget Carleton led all scorers with 26 points for Portland, while Jordan Harrison orchestrated the offense with 10 assists and Emily Engstler controlled the boards with 11 rebounds. For Golden State, Gabby Williams paced the Valkyries with 17 points, and Veronica Burton stuffed the stat sheet with 8 assists and a team-high 7 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to hold off the surging Fire in overtime.
With the victory, Portland becomes the new WNBA lineal champion, taking the belt from Golden State. The Fire will look to defend their newly-won belt in their next game.
Leaders
| Bridget CarletonPortland Fire | Points | 26 |
| Jordan HarrisonPortland Fire | Assists | 10 |
| Emily EngstlerPortland Fire | Rebounds | 11 |
| Gabby WilliamsGolden State Valkyries | Points | 17 |
| Veronica BurtonGolden State Valkyries | Assists | 8 |
| Veronica BurtonGolden State Valkyries | Rebounds | 7 |
Written by Claude from ESPN's box score for this game.