The Portland Fire just won their first game, and it was perfect

Q: How did the Portland Fire win their first game?

The Portland Fire won their first game by defeating the New York Liberty 98-96, with Sarah Ashlee-Barker scoring the game-winning layup.

Q: Who were the standout players for the Portland Fire in their first win?

Bridget Carleton scored a career-high 26 points, while Carla Leite added 21 points in the Fire's victory.

Q: What challenges did the New York Liberty face during the game?

The New York Liberty were missing key players Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally due to injuries, which impacted their performance.

PORTLAND, OREGON - MAY 09: Fans watch Portland Fire player introductions against the Chicago Sky at Moda Center on May 09, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Portland Fire’s roster doesn’t include many big-name WNBA players. One of two expansion teams to join the league this season, their roster is headlined by strong role players like Bridget Carleton, Carle Leite, and Emily Engslter, players who have never been primary options in the WNBA, and fought tooth and nail to make it. But on Tuesday night in Portland, as streamers inundated the stands, the roster’s relative name recognition didn’t matter. Thanks to a Sarah Ashlee-Barker game-winning putback layup, the Fire defeated the New York Liberty 98-96, toppling a veteran squad that boasts stars like Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. Important disclaimer: the Liberty have not been healthy to begin the season; two of their most important players — Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally — are both sidelined. Still, few would have predicted that the Fire, who fell to the Chicago Sky on opening night, would come away with their first win of the season on Tuesday against. Bridget Carleton did everything she could to ensure it would happen. The 28-year-old was selected No. 1 overall in the expansion draft, and subsequently signed a 3-year, $3.75 million maximum contract. Some scoffed at the size of that deal — she’d never before averaged double-figures, and while she was a strong role player for the , she appeared to be just that: a role player. But, in Tuesday’s win, the Fire’s Carleton vision came to fruition. The Canadian sharpshooter tallied a career-high 26 points on 9-16 shooting, hitting 5 of 11 three-point attempts, while also racking up 4 steals. In her 33 minutes on the floor, the Fire outscored the Liberty by 12 points. But the victory was far more than *just* Carleton’s doing. The 22-year-old appears to be a rising star of her own. Leite showed flashes of potential in her rookie season on the , but is already seeing more opportunities in Portland. She led the way with 21 points in the season opener, and followed that up with another 21-point performance on Tuesday, hitting 8 of 14 field goal attempts alongside 6 assists. Leite’s most pivotal play came with just 27 seconds to spare, when she blew past Jonquel Jones for a clutch-time layup to tie up the ball game. Then, it was Sarah Ashlee-Barker who quickly became a franchise hero; the second-year forward corralled Carleton’s missed three-point attempt, and beat the buzzer with the putback. Immediately, Ashlee-Barker’s teammates piled on top of her in celebration, while the fans at Moda Center went berserk. A Fire team that didn’t even have players just a few months ago had toppled one of the most talented squads in the WNBA. And, the fire they played with on Tuesday night suggested it just might be the first of *many* big-time victories in their inaugural season.