Carla Leite absorbed contact and knocked down the jumper in overtime to deliver for the Portland Fire. The basket finished Portland's 11-0 surge to end the game. The finish turned a tight overtime period into a Fire win.

What happened

Leite took the contact and still converted the jumper during the overtime period for Portland. The make stood as the defining sequence of the extra period for the Fire. It closed the game in decisive fashion for Portland.

Portland closed the game on an 11-0 run. The surge carried the Fire through the end of regulation and into overtime. Leite's basket through contact served as the cap to that 11-0 closing run.

Why it matters

The overtime make turned a tight finish into a Fire win. Portland needed execution in the extra period, and Leite provided it. The ability to score through contact in overtime underscored the decisive nature of the play.

The 11-0 closing run sealed the extra period for Portland. Closing runs of that length change tight games into wins. For the Fire, the run provided both separation and the final basket of the game.

By the numbers

The central number from the finish is the 11-0 run to close the game. It was the run that defined the closing stretch for Portland. The run remained intact through the overtime period.

The run was capped in overtime by Leite's jumper through contact. That basket connected the individual play to the team surge. Together, the 11-0 run and the overtime cap tell the story of the Fire win.

What to watch next

Portland moves forward after closing out the overtime win. The Fire carry the momentum of an 11-0 finish into what comes next. Closing a game in overtime provides a clear result to build upon.

The focus for Portland will be carrying that closing execution forward. The Fire finished the game with the decisive run and the decisive basket. What comes next starts from that overtime win.