XI'AN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese international Wang Jiaqi made a late 3-pointer as Team South edged Team North 113-110 in the 2025-26 Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) All-Star Game on Sunday.
The game was tied at 110-110 heading into the final minute, before Wang's clutch shot secured Team South's win.
Chen Mingling led Team South with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and was named Most Valuable Player.
"Not just me, everyone in the team contributed to the win," said Chen.
Natasha Howard scored all of her 21 points for Team South in the first half. Tang Ziting and Liu Yutong added 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Wu Tongtong, who led the All-Star vote for Team North, scored eight points as her team took the early initiative, before a more balanced Team South came back into contention, with Howard leading the charge with nine points. Team South led 31-23 as the first quarter ended.
Fueled by sharpshooter Zhai Ruoyun's three consecutive 3-pointers, Team North kept the game within striking distance and tied it at 39-all early in the second period on Zheng Ming's 3-pointer. All Team South players scored in the first half which featured four lead changes and seven ties, as the team built a 66-59 halftime lead.
Wu continued her scoring output after the break, hitting a 3-pointer to help Team North pull within 77-74 with 4 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The score was 79-all after Cao Junwei, the last player to open the scoring account, made two free throws. Kalani Brown's jumper at the buzzer helped Team North cut the deficit to one point entering the final frame.
After Wu sank a 3-pointer to move Team North ahead 101-100, Tang responded with two straight shots from 3-point range with three minutes to play.
Brown scored a game-high 26 points. Wu and Zhai chipped in with 24 and 18 points, respectively.
Yang Liwei, who led the All-Star vote, served as the host before the game, introducing the starters and reserves for both teams.
"It was a nice experience for me, and hopefully everyone enjoyed it," said Yang, a former captain of China's national team.
Also on Sunday, Xinjiang guard Zhang Libin won the skills challenge, and Zhejiang guard Dong Ke'er claimed the 3-point contest title.
As a special activity that highlighted heritage at the 20th WCBA All-Star Weekend, Dong and WCBA all-time leading scorer Ji Yanyan went head-to-head in a 3-point shooting game. Ji, the current coach of Shaanxi team, narrowly beat Dong 5-4.
"It's an important moment for the WCBA," said Yang about the 20th WCBA All-Star Weekend. "As the league is the bedrock of Chinese basketball, I hope more people will follow the WCBA and women's basketball." ■
