Sun Defeat Fire 90-87
Published on July 14, 2026 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Connecticut Sun News Release
Uncasville, CT - Today, the Connecticut Sun (6-18) defeated the Portland Fire (10-14) 90-87 on Tuesday afternoon inside Mohegan Sun Arena.
Four Sun players contributed double-digit performances in Tuesday's win with Aaliyah Edwards leading the charge with 21 points and eight rebounds. Brittney Griner also had a 20-point outing and dished out six helpers. Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Leila Lacan collected 16 and 14 points respectively.
The first quarter opened with both teams starting off strong offensively. Despite the early battle, Bridget Carleton found success from behind the arc, giving Portland a 15-12 lead, but the Sun recorded seven unanswered points to take the lead 19-15. Sarah Ashley Barker turned in two at the foul line, but Edwards responded taking it to the rim for two. Continuing her momentum, Edwards converted the and-one opportunity following the foul from Emily Engstler. Rookie Nell Angloma got started from inside the paint after a helper from fellow rookie, Charlisse Leger-Walker. The first quarter was all Edwards as she was responsible for 13 of the Sun's 32 points and was the only player on the floor in double-digits. Connecticut led 32-23 at the end of the first.
Angloma got the scoring started for Connecticut in the second frame, responding to Carleton with two of her own to push the lead to 34-25. Nelson-Ododa captured six points extending the Sun lead to thirteen points 40-27. Megan Gustafson and Carla Leite cut into the lead 40-32, but Griner and Lacan's offense pushed the lead to 46-32. After a scoreless first quarter, Frieda Buhner earned her first points from 24'. Connecticut continued its offensive flow with Edwards collecting two from inside the post. Engstler answered on the other end adding two for the Fire, but Lacan used a floater pushing the Sun lead to 13 points once again. Barker capitalized on the and-one opportunity before the half closing the gap to 50-40.
Coming out of the half, Portland got on the board first with Carleton knocking down three from 26'. It was a battle inside the post between Griner and Gustafson as they both used the inside for two. Griner and Edwards totaled six points giving the Sun a 63-50 advantage. After empty possessions from both squads, Karlie Samuelson used her range from deep to end the scoring drought. Down the stretch, fouls plagued both teams as they traded opportunities at the charity stripe. Leger- Walker knocked down the final shot for the Sun finding the bottom of the net with a 10' jumper. Connecticut led 72-63 before heading into the fourth quarter.
Early in the fourth, the Fire used four points from Engstler to cut into the lead 72-66. Portland steamrolled into a one-point deficit following a cut to the basket from Gustafson. Griner gave the Sun a four-point 75-71 lead, but Gustafson responded on the other end to cut into the gap. Miller and Griner combined for seven points in hopes of putting the Fire away, but Gustafson used her range from deep, keeping Portland within striking distance. Despite cutting the lead to one, the Fire had no answer for Edwards as she knocked in two after a dish from Lacan. Connecticut got out to a 90-83 lead with a little over a minute left following the made bucket for two from Lacan. Barker and Carleton used consecutive trips to the basket to put the Fire within just three at 90-87. The last-minute offensive push for Portland was not enough as the Sun held them off to take the 90-87 victory.
Game Notes:
Olivia Nelson-Ododa entered the 900-career points club in her 16-point outing.
Aaliyah Edwards notched 11 points in six minutes, marking the first time a player earned double-figures in six minutes since Alexis Joens (8/12/18).
Team Score Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 PTS REB AST
CON 90 32 18 22 18 Edwards - 21 Edwards -8 Leger-Walker- 7
PDX 87 23 17 23 24 Leite -18 Engstler/Gustafson- 5 Engstler -6
NEXT GAME: The Connecticut Sun are back on the road as they face the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, July 17 at 7:00pm MT/10:00pm ET
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