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Shanxi one game away from their third straight WCBA title

Xinhua, March 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

Defending champion Shanxi used another big third quarter to beat arch-rival Beijing 76-65 here on Tuesday, just one game away from their third straight Chinese Women's Basketball Association (WCBA) title.

Maya Moore finished with game-high 46 points and 11 rebounds.

"It was a difficult game in a long series. We made some mistakes after we led at the start, so that we let them get an upper hand in the second quarter," said Shanxi head coach Lucas Mondelo.

"We tried to give them more difficulties with our defense in the second half. We had successful defense in our last two home games," he added.

Moore showed her ability to snatch 16 points, helping the hosts build a 23-17 lead as the first quarter ran out.

Shanxi met some problems in their offense early in the second period, only earning two points on center Wei Wei's free throws, while the visitors cut the deficit little by little on teamwork.

Beijing got their first lead at 28-25 on Qi Site's three-pointer, and surged to a 19-0 run on their opponents' turnovers to reverse the momentum. Moore snapped her team's drought in seven minutes on two free throws. Wei Wei made Shanxi's only field goal with 38 seconds remaining, and Shanxi trailed by 43-29 into halftime.

Just as Game 2, Shanxi recorded a wonderful third quarter. Led by Moore's two free throws, Shanxi took a 21-3 run thanks to their tough defense and opponents' several turnovers. After finishing with a three-point play, exhilarated Moore shouted and pumped her fist. Beijing's 11 turnovers in this quarter gave Shanxi a 28-5 advantage in third period, who led by 57-48 into last 12 minutes.

Moore continued her hot momentum early in last quarter to make two jumpers in front of tough defense. After another three-pointer from Moore, Shanxi had a double-digit margin in hand with three minutes to go. The defending champ sealed the win with 7-point lead in hand with 42.9 seconds.

Brittney Griner had 17 points and 15 boards. Shao Ting and Sun Xiaoyu had 12 and 10 respectively.

Game 4 will be played in Beijing's home court on Thursday.

"We have no option but to win next game at home, and get a chance to come back," said Xu Limin, Beijing's head coach. Endi