Beijing tasted their first victory in Chinese Women's Basketball Association (WCBA) finals in four years as they upset promoted Xinjiang 85-63 and won the best-of-five series at 3-1 here on Tuesday.
Beijing's Shao Ting was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the finals. She had 17 points and five rebounds. Her teammate Sylvia Fowles finished with a game-high 28 points. Gao Song added 24.
"After 0-1 down, we had two victories on the road. Our players dealt with great pressure very well today, and that's our biggest accomplishment during this season," said Xu Limin, Beijing's head coach.
After securing a berth in this season's WCBA from the qualifications last March, Xinjiang displayed a stunning performance throughout to the finals. This was the third straight appearance on the ultimate stage for Beijing as they lost to Shanxi during previous two seasons.
Xinjiang played without their key post player Tina Charles, who injured on her left eye while grabbing for a loose ball in Game 3. They displayed toughness in the first quarter as former Chinese international player Qi Siyue scored 11 in this period. Xinjiang trailed by just one point as the first quarter ran out.
Beijing showed depth later, and Fowles dominated the paint with her height advantage. Her double-double of 15 points and 11 boards helped Beijing outscore 24-9 in the second period and led by 16 points into the halftime.
Steered by Fowles' several consecutive plays, the hosts led by as many as 21 points midway through the third quarter, before their opponents had five points in a row, highlighted by veteran Ma Zengyu's shot from 3-point range.
Xinjiang players began to show their energy shortage as the game went on. Beijing kept their margin in the final 12 minutes, and the visitors never got closer than 15 points until the last second.
Ma Zengyu made 6 of 8 from the three-point shooting line, finishing with a team-high 21 points. Qiu Siyue and Hua Lin helped with 15 and 13 respectively.
