The Dallas Wings fell just one point short of a spectacular comeback on Saturday night, dropping a highly contested WNBA Commissioner’s Cup matchup to the Portland Fire in an 84-83 thriller.

A single free throw in the final seconds decided a game that could have gone either way. However, Azzi Fudd managed to place her name in the franchise record books.

During the course of the match, Azzi Fudd became the fastest player in Dallas franchise history to reach 20 career three-pointers.

Fudd entered the game with 17 career three-pointers made across her first ten appearances of the 2026 season. She picked up her 20th career three-pointer on her third successful long-range shot of the evening in the third quarter.

Azzi Fudd played 32 minutes and finished with 18 points. She shot 7-of-17 from the field and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.

She also added four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks to her stat line. 

The Fire had a 14-13 lead in the 1st quarter and went into halftime up 44-37. The Wings bounced back in the second half by scoring 24-19 in the third quarter and 22-21 in the fourth.

The game came down to the free-throw line. Forward Emily Engstler broke the tie by hitting the second of two free throws with only two seconds left on the clock. The loss dropped the Wings to an 8-5 record on the season. 

The narrow loss showed how much Dallas misses having a complete roster on the floor.

Dallas' Offense Struggled Competing Against Portland's Perimeter Surge

This game marked the very first time Dallas faced off against the new Portland franchise. The Wings had to play without Paige Bueckers, who sat out with a right ankle injury she picked up in an earlier game. 

Guard Arike Ogunbowale led the scoring for Dallas with 22 points. She grabbed six rebounds and recorded two assists. She though struggled with her efficiency by going 7-of-16 from the field and 2-of-7 from deep. 

Forward Jessica Shepard finished the night with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Meantime guard Aziaha James also contributed 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists. 

However, it was forward Bridget Carleton who helped the Fire with 20 points, doing most of her damage by shooting 6-of-10 from three-point range. Centre Megan Gustafson also added 16 points, while Emily Engstler finished with 11 points and the game-winning free throw. 

The Wings hit 7-of-28 from the three-point range, while the Fire scored 14 three-pointers from 31 attempts. This proved how Dallas allowed more three-pointers while Portland executed better.

The Wings are still in a good position in the standings, but they need to fix their perimeter defense before their next game. 

How can Dallas improve their perimeter defense moving forward? 

Read more at Her Sports Nation! 

Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Koushik Biswas