Love and basketball: Meet the couple who got engaged at a Portland Fire game.

Rolled credits on Mixtape. It’s phenomenal.

She is the first WNBA player from University of Portland. Her first game was in the Rose City.

Very important to note that the rebounding this week was SO much better than it was in game 1 and in the two preseason games. The Fire got a lot better on the boards and did it against Stewie and JJ. That in itself is a big win because it felt like it had the potential to be a big issue.

3 games into the 2026 WNBA season and Frieda Bühner has used up 1/4 of her developmental contract availability. Curious if the team is front-loading her just for the experience or if this means they intend on pushing her to the active roster

Portland Fire offense goes cold in loss to resilient New York Liberty.

Fire lose 100-82 to Liberty. 3 positives: -NY only had 4 offensive rebounds. Rebounding was a concern in the preseason and it feels like it didn’t become the 🚩 it could have been -Megan Gustafson (14) and Nyadiew Puoch (13) both showed great offensive production -22 personal fouls, also not bad

Bridget Carleton had 26 points and 4 steals in Tuesday’s win against New York. In the first half tonight she had 0 points and 0 steals.

Turnovers are hurting. The Fire are also clearly missing Carla Leite’s offense. She’s happy to crash to the paint to attempt a layup/draw a foul/dish to the perimeter and the Fire don’t really have that spark right now.

Alex Sarama’s defensive game plan on Tuesday was damn near perfect playing against Stewie and JJ. How will the Liberty respond? They’re looking to contend this year. After 10 minutes the Fire look like they’re in charge.

Regardless of what happens this season or any season moving forward, Sarah Ashlee Barker is going to be forever part of Portland Fire lore and fans will have a special place in their hearts for her

We have our answer. Kamiah Smalls is starting at PG tonight. Still going with Bridget Carleton, Nyadiew Puoch, Emily Engstler and Luisa Geiselsöder in the starting 5.

This is going to be interesting. Sug Sutton will likely make her season debut. And now we’ll see what the Fire look like without Carla Leite running the offense.

This is true in almost every sports space. And it’s because there is a significant population of fanboys pretending to be journalists. Then the teams/fans tend to prefer the fanboy journalists because they will only focus on good happy time while ignoring other things.

I still think my favorite genre of gamer is "wants a gritty, more adult, difficult Pokémon game but refuses to play anything Shin Megami Tensei."

It feels like a theme that people (especially players) who work with Vanja Černivec tend to become attached to Vanja Černivec

Shoutout to USPS for folding my son’s official birth certificate so there’s a big fat crease vertically down the middle. Really appreciate that

They just be doing stuff. To end week 1 they hs a drill where they were practicing 3-pointers but had to do a pirouette off the catch

Holly Winterburn was unceremoniously waived by the Atlanta Dream while the team was boarding a bus for a game. Now she gets a second shot in the state where she started her college career

In just their second game and first win in 24 years, the Portland Fire have a culturally defining moment.

Sarah Ashlee Barker hits buzzer-beater for Portland Fire after tragic personal loss

Fighting all night long to hang with the New York Liberty, the Portland Fire just pulled off a stunning 98-96 win at Moda Center on a buzzer-beating putback by Sarah Ashlee Barker. Read more from Ryan Clarke: theoregonian.visitlink.me/_GE-k5 📸 by Ali Gradischer/Getty #PortlandFire #WNBA

Alex Sarama on his first win: “I’m about to enjoy a nice bottle of Prosecco.”

SARAH ASHLEE BARKER FTW 🔥 The Portland Fire get their first win of the season.

Two games in, The Fire Pit is already the best atmosphere in the WNBA.

Man I don’t know how @ryantclarke.bsky.social will do the follow-up tonight. Historical significance. Sarah Ashlee Barker putback buzzer beater. Carleton/Leite superstar combo. This game has a lot of talking points and you only have one lede 😭

The Portland Fire likely flipped some nonbelievers tonight. They’re fun to watch and will stay in games against good teams. NY was without Ionescu and Sabally, but the Fire’s play against Stewie and JJ can’t go unnoticed. I bet Alex Sarama is doing backflips in the media room right now.

Portland Fire pull out first win over New York Liberty on clutch shot by Sarah Ashlee Barker

Portland Fire beat NY Liberty 98-96 3 positives: -Bridget Carleton is the star they said she is. 26 points and multiple defensive highlights. -Carla Leite keeps getting better. 21 points, 6 assists. She’s tough. -Fire did a lot better rebounding, especially against a TOUGH front court

Sarah Ashlee Barker said you all forgot about me. What a finish. Fire first win since 2002. What a night for women’s basketball in Portland.

Regardless of what happens in the final seconds of this game, the Fire made believers out of a lot of people tonight. The Leite/Carleton combo in full force has been magical

This is the superstar player that Alex Sarama and Vanja Cernivec have been gassing up for weeks

Carla Leite is heading back in the game, limp and all. Tough.

Kamiah Smalls has proven quickly why she was brought in. I know people liked Jordan Harrison and she was fun to watch in the preseason, but Smalls’ shot has been huge in just her first game.

That’s one thing the Fire can’t afford. With 15 points and 6 assists, Leite has been incredible tonight

It felt like NY was going for the kill early but it’s only a 7-point deficit at halftime. Fire still very much in this game

Bridget Carleton is playing defense like Adam Sandler in Eight Crazy Nights

You live by the fast break and you die by the fast break. Those runs can go both ways so quickly.

Bridget Carleton’s offense has taken some time to really get going this year. But her defense is spectacular to watch. That’s why they picked her #1 in the expansion draft

Considering that the Fire have had a lot of issues with rebounding and the Liberty are… the Liberty, this was a very encouraging first quarter.

For all the mismatches and talent gaps the Fire are going to face this year, I can't remember watching a basketball team that plays this hard possession after possession. Going to keep them in a lot of games.

Meghan, please tell me more on how you think my position as a sports reporter & editor at The Oregonian overlaps with video surveillance and security cameras. Please spare no detail

Portland Fire vs. New York Liberty: 3 storylines to watch in pair of matchups this week.

Wouldn’t be surprised if she gets put in the developmental pool. Given the team was missing Sug Sutton and Karlie Samuelson for the season opener it made sense to keep Jordan Harrison for on the active roster for Saturday.

With the Fire’s arrival, Portland finds another cathedral for women’s sports.

Portland Fire fight to the finish but drop season opener to Chicago Sky.

Portland Fire fall 98-83 to Chicago Sky in WNBA debut. 3 positives: - Bridget Carleton came alive in the second half, finished with 13 pts & 4 assists. - SA Barker was the MVP of the first half. 13 pts coming off the bench. - Carla Leite still shows flashes of brilliance. Team high 18 pts.

This was always going to happen. Portland loves basketball and Portland loves women’s sports. It’s a shame it took 24 years.

So far the Fire are doing OK. Giving up offensive boards to Kamilla Cardoso, but the Fire dont truly have a paint presence to compete with her size. SA Barker playing super well. Bridget Carleton and Nyadiew Puoch playing strong D but not really standing out on offense.