PORTLAND, Ore. (Interstat) — Sarah Ashlee Barker’s putback just before the final buzzer lifted the expansion Portland Fire to a 98-96 victory over the New York Liberty on Tuesday night at Moda Center, giving the Fire their first franchise win in front of 12,386 fans.

Bridget Carleton scored a career-high 26 points and made five three-pointers for Portland, which improved to 1-1. After New York was called for a three-second violation with 13.8 seconds left, Carleton’s 3-point attempt went hard off the backboard without hitting the rim. Barker battled for the offensive rebound and put it back as time expired, sparking a pile-on celebration near midcourt.

Carla Leite added 21 points and six assists for the Fire. Luisa Geiselsoder scored 13 points, Kamiah Smalls also had 13, and Barker finished with five points in 22 minutes off the bench.

New York dipped to 2-1. Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Pauline Astier scored 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting, Marine Johannes added 18 points and four assists, and Jonquel Jones contributed 17 points and seven rebounds.

The Liberty jumped out to a 27-21 lead after the first quarter, using a balanced attack that featured Astier’s early scoring and Stewart’s rim protection. Stewart blocked two Luisa Geiselsoder layups in the opening minutes. New York extended the margin to 54-47 at halftime behind a 27-point second quarter, with Johannes hitting a 26-foot 3-pointer and Jones draining two triples.

Portland chipped away in the third quarter, matching New York 23-23 to keep the deficit at 77-70 entering the fourth. Carleton scored eight points in the period, including back-to-back 3-pointers that forced a Liberty timeout. The Fire’s defensive pressure, led by Emily Engstler’s three blocks, began to disrupt New York’s rhythm.

The Liberty still led 96-91 after Jonquel Jones made two free throws with 42.9 seconds left. Portland responded with Leite’s driving layup with 27.1 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 96-93. New York called timeout but then committed a three-second violation, giving Portland possession with 13.8 seconds left.

Fire coach Tyler Harris drew up a play for Carleton, whose 3-point attempt was off the mark. But Barker, a reserve forward, fought for the rebound and banked in the winner just before the horn. The officiating crew reviewed the play and confirmed the basket, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

Leite was steady throughout, shooting 8 of 15 from the field and making all three free throws. Carleton’s 26 points came on 9-of-17 shooting, including 5 of 12 from deep. Geiselsoder hit three 3-pointers and added five rebounds. Engstler contributed six points, three rebounds and three blocks.

Astier, a guard from Tarbes, France, paced New York with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes. Stewart, the 6-foot-4 forward from North Syracuse, New York, posted a double-double despite shooting only 4 of 13 from the field; she made 8 of 9 free throws. Jones, the 6-6 center from Freeport, Bahamas, grabbed seven rebounds but committed four turnovers. Johannes, a 5-10 guard, shot 7 of 14 and had four assists.

The Liberty shot a solid percentage from the floor and from three-point range, but were hurt by 19 turnovers. Portland forced 17 steals, with Carleton collecting four and Leite three. The Fire also outrebounded New York on the offensive glass, grabbing 10 offensive boards to the Liberty’s eight.

New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored 10 points with three rebounds and three assists. Rebekah Gardner added eight points, two rebounds and four assists. The Liberty had won their first two games of the season, beating Connecticut by 31 points and Washington in overtime.

Portland, an expansion team playing its second game, lost its opener 98-83 to Chicago on Saturday. The Fire showed significant improvement, especially on the defensive end, holding New York to 19 points in the fourth quarter after the Liberty had averaged 29 points per quarter in their first two games.

The game featured nine lead changes and seven ties. The largest lead for either team was eight points, held by New York early in the second quarter. The Fire took their first lead of the fourth quarter at 91-90 on a Carleton jumper with 2:52 left, but Stewart answered with a layup to put New York back ahead.

Key plays included Stewart’s three blocks in the first half, including two on Geiselsoder in the opening minutes. Engstler blocked Stewart twice, once in the first quarter and again in the second. Carleton’s three-point shooting kept Portland within striking distance, and her steal of a Marine Johannes pass in the second quarter led to a transition bucket.

The Fire’s bench outscored New York’s reserves 18-13. Portland also held a 14-8 advantage in points off turnovers.

Both teams return to action Thursday when they meet again at Moda Center for the second game of this two-game series. New York’s next 10 games include matchups against Golden State, Dallas, Phoenix and Toronto, while Portland hosts Connecticut, visits Indiana and Toronto, and then hosts Atlanta.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected New York with a 51.70 percent probability to win. The Liberty had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 13.5. The total score of 96 points went over the over-under line of 169.5.