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E-mail Xinhua, April 9, 2025
Dongguan is one win away from the 2024-25 Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) league title after notching a 90-83 road victory over reigning champion Sichuan on Tuesday.
Making its first finals in six years, Dongguan had more balanced attack as five players cracked double figures in scoring, with Yang Shuyu leading the way with 23 points. Yang Liwei and Aliyah Collier had 20 and 18 points respectively.
Much similar to the first game three days ago, Sichuan fell short again in the fourth quarter, where it was outscored 20-14 to see its chance slip away.
"We rushed, we panicked, and we worked for them [in the fourth quarter]," rued Sichuan coach Milos Paden.
Yang Liwei opened Dongguan's scoring with a fast break layup, while Sichuan responded through consecutive paint points from Elizabeth Cambage and Jonquel Jones, who, along with Li Meng, combined for Sichuan's all points in the first quarter as both sides were tied at 24-24.
The two teams were still on level terms at 44-44 at halftime, while Dongguan carried a slim one-point lead entering the final frame through Yang Liwei's buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
After her layup at the midpoint of the final period, Dongguan extended its lead to 11 points and secured its victory with stout defense afterwards.
"I just told my players to enjoy this stage and show their best, and they did, which made me quite proud," said Dongguan coach-player Huang Sijing, who had 10 points.
"Facing such a strong opponent as Sichuan, we need to go all out and learn from them. The next game, they are set to make some adjustments, and we need to stick to what we did well," she added.
Jones shot 13 of 17 from the field to lead all scorers with 31 points. Cambage and Li chipped in with 16 points apiece, but they are the only three Sichuan players that managed double-digit scoring.
"One team looks like a team, and one team looks like individuals," said Jones. "The good thing about basketball and the series is that you have another game to be able to fix it, to be able to win, and to be able to change the series."
Game 3 will also be held on Sichuan's home court on Thursday.
