Carla Leite scores 20, Portland Fire beat Seattle Storm 77-72

Dominique Malonga had 22 points to pace Seattle while Natisha Hiedeman scored 15.

Jul 4, 2026, 8:40 PM

Portland Fire Seattle Storm Carla Leite...

Carla Leite of the Portland Fire fights through contact from Jade Melbourne of the Seattle Storm on July 4, 2026. (Jack Compton/Getty Images)

(Jack Compton/Getty Images)

SEATTLE (AP) — Carla Leite scored 20 points to lead the Portland Fire to a 77-72 victory over the Seattle Storm on Saturday night.

Seattle Storm 77, Portland Fire 72: Box score

Leite made 4 of 8 shots and all 12 of her free throws, adding four assists for Portland (9-12). Bridget Carleton totaled 14 points and seven rebounds, while Megan Gustafson added 10 points and nine boards.

Dominique Malonga had 22 points to pace Seattle (5-17) and Natisha Hiedeman scored 15.

Dominique Malonga makes it a 5-PT game (75-70)‼️ https://t.co/J5H1NudKnX pic.twitter.com/J5bQdh9mkb

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 5, 2026

Awa Fam had 12 points, while fellow rookie Flau’jae Johnson was held to a season-low one point.

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Leite had two three-point plays to start the third quarter and Frieda Buhner came off the bench to score all nine of her points over a six-minute span as Portland turned a 32-30 halftime lead into a 54-47 advantage.

Carla Leite has no fear as she attacks the rim 🤭

This bucket marks her fourth and-1 of the night! https://t.co/0Ljk7mZf0e pic.twitter.com/5TUFxOl8CL

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 5, 2026

Gustafson sank a 3-pointer for a 41-38 lead and the Fire never trailed again.

Emily Engstler had all nine of her points and six of her eight rebounds by halftime, helping Portland outscore Seattle 22-10 in the second period for a two-point lead at the break.

Hiedeman had nine points in the first quarter and Seattle used a 13-2 run over the final 5:27 to take a 20-10 lead before falling to 0-12 against Western Conference opponents this season.

Portland went 1-3 on a four-game trip.