CHENGDU, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Kalani Brown scored a game-high 34 points as Shanxi beat Sichuan 87-80 on Wednesday to force a decisive Game 5 in the 2025-26 Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) finals.
Brown shot 15 of 18 from the field. Shakira Austin had 19 points and nine rebounds, while Song Kexin added 10 points.
Sichuan's offense struggled early, with Jia Saiqi's free throw accounting for its first point almost five minutes into the game. Brown scored nine straight points after the opening tip, and after reserve forward Zhai Ruoyun hit a three-pointer, Shanxi built a 12-3 lead.
Sichuan tightened up defensively after a timeout, and Arike Ogunbowale hit two consecutive three-pointers to pull the home side back into contention, as the hosts trailed 18-16 at the end of the first quarter.
A pair of free throws from Ogunbowale gave Sichuan its first lead at 20-18. Brown continued her scoring run, and Austin added eight points as Shanxi took a 44-40 lead into halftime.
Sichuan center Elizabeth Cambage was injured after a collision and returned to the locker room midway through the third quarter. Without its main presence in the paint, Sichuan was unable to contain Brown inside. Liu Bei's breakaway layup and Zhai's three-pointer helped Shanxi extend its lead to 68-58 heading into the final quarter.
Ogunbowale helped Sichuan cut the deficit to eight points with a three-pointer, but Shanxi responded through Brown's six straight points. Ogunbowale sparked a late 8-1 run for Sichuan, but Song sealed Shanxi's victory with a layup in the final minute.
"This team has seen a lot of adversity, especially in the last couple of days. We had every reason to give up, but we didn't. That speaks volume for our character. This win is completely a team win. I wouldn't be able to do what I did tonight without my teammates believing in themselves and having that confidence," Brown said after the win.
Ogunbowale led Sichuan with 21 points but was ejected late after receiving two technical fouls. Natasha Howard and Gao Song scored 13 and 12 points, respectively. Cambage had 10 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes.
"Shanxi deserved this win. They had control of the game. They dominated the rebounds, they dominated the energy. The two inside players of Shanxi scored 53 points, so it's too much," Sichuan coach Frederic Dusart said.
Shanxi will host Game 5 on Saturday. ■
