China's Ha Xu and Li Yueru are playing during the WNBA game.
Han Xu scored 10 points and Li Yueru had 2 in the first head-to-head between China's top-caliber centers this season.
WASHINGTON, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Courtney Vandersloot's late 3-pointer lifted the defending champions Chicago Sky to an 88-86 road victory over the New York Liberty in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) on Sunday.
Vandersloot made a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining, and Marine Johannes didn't have enough time to finish her attack at the other end. Trailing 65-59 after three quarters, the Sky outscored 29-21 in the fourth quarter to complete their comeback.
Vandersloot finished with 20 points and 10 assists. Emma Meesseman contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds. Allie Quigley and Kahleah Copper had 16 and 13 points respectively.
The Sky's narrow win made Sabrina Ionescu's triple-double of 27 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in vain. Stefanie Dolson and Crystal Dangerfield added 12 and 11 points respectively.
Han Xu finished with 10 points, two rebounds, one steal and one block for the Liberty in the first head-to-head between China's top-caliber centers this season, and Li Yueru scored two points from the free-throw line for the Sky to go along with three rebounds and one assist.
"We didn't do well in rebounds today, especially conceding several rebounds in late moments, which led to our loss," said Han in a phone interview with Xinhua.
"It was a tight game. We just lost by two points to the reigning champions. It showed our competitiveness against any team. As long as we focus on details, we can become better and better," she added.
The Liberty will take on the Washington Mystics on Thursday, and the Sky will face the Atlanta Dream on Friday. ■
