FILE - The Portland Fire logo on a banner outside the Moda Center on July 15, 2025, in Portland, Ore.
Jenny Kane / AP
The Portland Fire came up short against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday night, dropping their preseason opener 91-81.
It was the first game action for the Fire since rejoining the WNBA as an expansion franchise and scrambling over the past few weeks to build a roster.
Three players scored in double-figures for Portland. Center Luisa Geiselsöder, who Portland selected in the expansion draft earlier this month, led the team with 15 points.
Sarah Ashlee Barker scored 14 points and added 6 rebounds. Carla Leite finished with 12 points and 5 assists.
Portland trailed for the entirety of the first half, but Haley Jones plucked a defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast with a game-tying layup midway through the third quarter. It was Jones’ only bucket of the game.
The Fire briefly took the lead on a Leite free throw, but Seattle then went on a 12-5 run and never looked back.
Highly touted rookie guard Flau’jae Johnson out of LSU led Seattle with 20 points.
Portland has one more preseason game Sunday, May 3 at the Moda Center against the Los Angeles Sparks. The game tips at 4 p.m.
The Fire open the regular season at home on May 9 against the Chicago Sky.
The original Portland Fire team played in the WNBA from 2000 to 2002. The league awarded Portland an expansion franchise in 2024.
