Streamers rain down on the court as Portland Fire players huddle around Sarah Ashlee Barker to celebrate her game winning shot. The Fire beat the New York Liberty 98-96 in their second official game as a new franchise on May 12, 2026 in Portland, Ore.
Kyra Buckley / OPB
Oregon waited 24 years for a professional women’s basketball team to return to the state, but fans only had to wait two games to see that team win on their home court.
The Portland Fire beat the New York Liberty 98-96 Tuesday night at the Moda Center in front of 12,300 fans. That’s smaller by several thousand than the cacophonous crowd that filled the ‘fire pit’ on Sunday to cheer the Fire in spite of a decisive loss to the Chicago Sky.
Sunday’s game was historic — a milestone moment for a city that has long supported women’s sports showing up in record numbers to cheer every play throughout the first WNBA game in Portland in more than two decades. Tuesday night was more about the team itself, with players overcoming adversity on the court and off, while learning the game plan and pulling together.
Fire guard Sarah Ashlee Barker scored the game winning basket a fraction of a second before the final buzzer sounded.
“I don’t want to be anywhere else,” Barker told reporters about Portland. “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
Fire forward Bridget Carleton led the team in scoring with 26 points. After the game she told reporters she had a mix of emotions watching Barker — who told reporters that her family has had some challenges in the day leading up to the game — hit the final shot.
“What she has gone through the last 24 hours, it’s emotional,” Carleton said of Barker. “I’m really, really proud and happy that we can all be there for her and, and she gets to embrace this moment. And I think that was also part of the excitement. Obviously, we’re really happy we won the game.”
Barker declined to talk about her recent loss. Instead, she praised her teammates for staying focused throughout just their second regular-season game together. She called the organization, her team, and head coach Alex Sarama “something special.”
FILE — Portland Fire guard Sarah Ashlee Barker plays against the Chicago Sky in Portland, on Saturday, May 9, 2026. Barker scored the game winning basket a fraction of a second before the final buzzer sounded in Tuesday night's win over the New York Liberty.
Amanda Loman / AP
“There’s so much togetherness and I think that’s what it’s all about,” Barker said. “Every single time we step onto the floor, if somebody has a question about a play, we’re asking each other like, ‘hey, where am I supposed to go?’ And so the communication behind it, the trust — and we have so much trust in him [Sarama] because we can see the trust that he has in us.”
Throughout the evening the game had 14 lead changes, and was tied eight times. Every time the Liberty tried to take control, Portland responded.
“I haven’t been part of a game that I’ve coached my whole career where the game plan was executed better than that,” a wet-haired Sarama told reporters after the win. “Just incredible, and I can’t wait to see where we’re going to go as a group.”
The flawless execution Sarama gushed about is all the more impressive given the brief period he’s had to coach the Fire’s players.
Normally expansion teams have five to six months to put together a roster and start practicing before the season tips off. Because of delayed labor negotiations, the two expansion teams this season — Portland and the Toronto Tempo — only had five to six weeks to build their rosters. Training camp and preseason were also shorter than usual.
It means the Fire players have had to learn fast while bonding with new teammates and getting used to a new city — culminating in an early-season victory against a veteran Liberty team.
The Liberty don’t have to wait long to attempt revenge. Portland hosts New York again Thursday night at the Moda Center.
