BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Shi Xiufeng shone in the final moment as Beijing labored to its ninth consecutive victory after rallying past Shanxi 87-84 at home in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) here on Tuesday.
Shi scored 11 of her 20 points in the last quarter, including four points as the game went into the final minute.
"I feel quite calm," said Shi. "It's not an easy win, especially on the last day of 2019. The win is not just about me. I should say thanks to my teammates."
Beijing trailed at 73-77 near the midpoint of the final 10 minutes, while turning the table through Shi's glittering plays.
Teaira McCowan led Beijing's charge with 28 points and 23 boards. Shao Ting and Gao Song contributed 13 and 12 respectively.
"We had expected it to be a close matchup. We used experience and mentality for our comeback," said Beijing's coach Zhang Yunsong, also hoping his team can carry the momentum into the new year.
Australian center Elizabeth Cambage finished a game-high 38 points for Shanxi, along with 10 rebounds, in three quarters.
Shanxi and Beijing are arch rivals in the WCBA, combining seven titles, including three head-to-head finals.
Both sides went neck and neck since the tip-off, before second-ranked Beijing scored six straight points en route to a 21-20 first quarter lead.
Despite leaving Cambage on the bench, Shanxi didn't concede many points to full roster opponents in the second period.
After Beijing went on to open the quarter with a 6-0 spurt, Shanxi's Liu Jiacen and Yu Dong, in place of Cambage, stepped up to convert several baskets, followed by captain Wu Tongtong's shot from the 3-point range. With domestic players on court, Shanxi managed a 45-all halftime tie back to the locker room.
Cambage scored 13 points after the restart, while Gao Song became Beijing's main contributor on scoreboard with eight points in the third quarter. Shanxi set up a 65-63 advantage into the final frame.
The fourth quarter belonged to Shi, who had scored five points in a row as Beijing leveled at 80-all before her heroic efforts at the last gasp.
Liu scored 14 points for Shanxi. Yu added 10.
"Overall we had a good game, especially we had a big disadvantage against Beijing because we had to play with Liz (Cambage) for three quarters," Shanxi's coach Cesar Ruperez Garcia told Xinhua.
"But I'm a little disappointed because we made some stupid mistakes that didn't allow us to win the game," added the Spaniard.
