WNBA · 2026-09-17 (UTC)
Phoenix Mercury at Portland Fire
Officiating report for this game.
Officiating Impact Score
43 / 100 Moderate
Moderate impact: the game had a 3-point margin, a 2-attempt free-throw edge for PHX, 10 late-game fouls, and multiple players in foul trouble.
Actual fouls: 49 total · PHX 25, POR 24 · +1 on PHX
What shaped the score
- Final margin: 3 pts
- Fouls : PHX 25, POR 24 — +1 on PHX
- Late-game fouls : 10 in Q4/OT final five minutes
- Free throw attempts : PHX 30, POR 28 — +2 PHX
- Players in foul trouble : 4
- Pregame crew context: Near league avg (98-game crew sample)
Foul-trouble context
POR (Home)
- Emily Engstler — 6 PF (Q4 4:58) · Fouled out
- Serah Williams — 5 PF (Q4 8:53)
PHX (Away)
- Lexi Held — 6 PF (Q4 2:04) · Fouled out
- Shay Ciezki — 6 PF (Q4 5:06) · Fouled out
Foul trouble added more availability pressure for POR in late-game minutes.
Crew & tendencies
Observed splits
- Crew sample: 98 prior games, 6 with 2+ assigned · season 2026 · since 2026-04-25
- Pregame crew foul tendency : 42.1 fouls/game vs league 40.7 Near league avg
- Phoenix Mercury with assigned officials: 7-6, -3.3 foul diff/game (13-game sample)
- Portland Fire with assigned officials: 5-10, +2.3 foul diff/game (15-game sample)
Pregame crew
Confirmed crew
- Crew chief
- #42 Roy Gulbeyan
- Referee
- #3 Ryan Sassano
- Umpire
- #6 Charles Watson
Postgame result
Confirmed Crew worked as assigned.
Actual foul environment
Player availability
POR (Home)
- Emily Engstler — Fouled out
PHX (Away)
- Lexi Held — Fouled out
- Shay Ciezki — Fouled out
For the full foul log, see the detailed game page.