PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- Rookie Sylvia Crawley had 14 points and 10 rebounds and the expansion Portland Fire used a pair of second-half runs to hold off the Minnesota Lynx, 65-54.

Stacey Thomas scored five of her nine points in a 9-0 burst that put the Fire ahead to stay, 41-34, with 11:08 to play. Minnesota fought back within 48-45 when Betty Lennox buried a 3-pointer with 7:36 remaining.

But Sophia Witherspoon and Michele VanGorp fueled an 8-2 run that opened a 56-47 cushion with 3:13 left.

Witherspoon scored 12 points for Portland, which has won three of its last four games. The Fire shot 44 percent (25-of-57), held a 29-24 rebounding edge and yielded only eight points off turnovers.

"Turnovers have been our enemy and once we got them down we won," Witherspoon said. "We've been working hard and know we have a long road trip coming up. We feel we can win in other team's arenas. We're taking each game one at a time. We're targeting the fourth spot in the playoff race. It's a rebirth for us and has given us something to push for."

"Our turnovers tonight was a franchise low," Portland coach Linda Hargrove said. "It's amazing what happens when you have a normal amount of turnovers."

Lennox had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Katie Smith -- who torched the Fire for 32 points earlier this month -- was held to 10 as Minnesota's season-high losing streak reached five games.

"They play hard, they don't quit," Smith said.

"Holding Katie to 10 points was the big difference," Hargrove said. "We're developing some confidence in our ability to win and now we expect to win."