Carla Leite dropped 23 points in Phoenix on Sunday night, lifting Portland to an 88-85 road win. Her showing in the Fire vs Mercury clash overshadowed a night built around Diana Taurasi, whose No. 3 jersey was raised to the rafters in halftime and postgame ceremonies.
Carla Leite Powers Late Comeback in Fire vs Mercury Win
Trailing most of the way, Portland found its footing in the fourth quarter.
Leite capped a 6-0 run with back-to-back baskets, nudging the expansion side ahead 81-80 with 1:12 to play. Kahleah Copper answered, then Emily Engstler matched her. Katie Lou Samuelson followed by splitting a pair at the line with 20 seconds left, pushing the margin to 84-82.
From there, Bridget Carleton sealed it. She swatted Copper on the next possession, corralled the rebound, and iced four free throws down the stretch. Alyssa Thomas hit a late 3 but came up one assist shy of a triple-double.
Leite finished the game for Portland 9-of-15 with five assists, and Megan DiLeo added 15.
Portland, now 15-20, heads to the Toronto Tempo on Friday at 10 PM ET on ION. The Mercury, meanwhile, sit at 13-23 with the Atlanta Dream waiting on Saturday at 10 PM ET on WNBA League Pass.
