Emily Engstler had 16 points, including nine in the third quarter, as the Portland Fire routed the Toronto Tempo 99-80 on Saturday.
Bridget Carleton of Chatham-Kent, Ont., had 15 points thanks to a 4-for-8 night from three-point range for Portland (3-3). Megan Gustafson scored 14 off the bench.
Marina Mabrey and rookie Kiki Rice had 19 points apiece as Toronto (3-4) lost back-to-back games.
Mabrey almost had a double-double with eight assists and five rebounds. Rice added five boards and three assists.
The Tempo were without three key players: guard Julie Allemand (groin strain), centre Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder sprain), and forward Isabelle Harrison (right thumb dislocation).
It was the first-ever meeting between the WNBA expansion teams.
Fire: A deeper bench paid dividends for Portland, as their reserves outscored Toronto’s 42-20. After two evenly matched quarters the visitors pulled ahead in the third quarter thanks to Engstler’s nine-point outburst in the period.
Tempo: Mabrey and Rice are clearly developing a strong rapport just seven games into the season. On back-to-back Toronto possessions in the second quarter Mabrey threw long, three-quarter court passes to Rice streaking down the court, with the young forward converting both passes for easy baskets.
A 11-0 Portland run, punctuated by Nyadiew Puoch’s three-pointer with 8:07 left to play, gave the Fire a 14-point lead and effectively put the game out of reach for the Tempo.
Evenly matched through the first half, Portland surged ahead thanks to superior three-point shooting. The Fire went 6 for 11 (54.5 per cent) in the third and fourth quarters, for an 11 for 23 (47.8 per cent) in the game. The Tempo only managed six three-pointers on 25 attempts (24 per cent) in the entire game.
Fire: Visit the New York Liberty on Monday.
Tempo: Visit the Chicago Sky on Wednesday.