WCBA League A Group Round 24 has completed 4 games and there are 2 games yet to be played, while all 4 games of B Group Round 26 have been finished. The latest standings for both groups (A/B) of the WCBA have been generated. Sichuan's unbeaten streak of 23 consecutive victories has been broken, which aligns with the author's previous prediction that this team had the strongest potential for second place, as seen in the previous article "WCBA Latest Standings, Fujian's First Victory, Sichuan's Championship Unquestioned, Predicting This Team for Second Place." However, can Shanxi reclaim the championship title?
In A Group Round 24, the match between Shanxi and Sichuan was the highlight of the round, with Shanxi currently ranked 2nd and Sichuan ranked 1st, making it a battle between two strong teams. At the end of the first quarter, Shanxi led by 2 points, and at halftime, Shanxi still maintained a 2-point lead. By the end of the third quarter, both teams were tied. In the early stages of the final quarter, Sichuan took the lead. However, following Zhang Mingzhu's successful 2-point shot and Kelsey Mitchell's 3-pointer, Shanxi took the lead and continued to maintain it, with Sichuan constantly trying to catch up. Elizabeth Cambage scored a 2-pointer, bringing Sichuan within 4 points, Chen Yujie made both free throws, and Li Meng made a passing error. Ultimately, Shanxi defeated Sichuan 81-75, ending Sichuan's streak of 23 consecutive victories.
On the Shanxi side, Kelsey Mitchell scored the highest of the game with 24 points, along with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Chen Yujie contributed 18 points and 3 rebounds, Song Kexin had 11 points and 6 assists, Zhai Ruoyun scored 9 points with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, Feng Kexin scored 7 points, and Ho Juntong and Zhang Mingzhu each scored 2 points. Mercedes Russell had 0 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. On the Sichuan side, Li Meng scored an empty 20 points with 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Gao Song had 14 points and 6 rebounds, Han Xu scored 13 points with 5 rebounds, Wang Siyu had 11 points and 5 rebounds, and Cambage scored 8 points with 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals. Jin Weinuo and Zhang Manman each scored 3 points, and both Li Meng and Cambage had 5 turnovers each.
Other matches in A Group that night saw Jiangsu Nangang lose to Dongguan Xintongsheng 55-76. For Jiangsu, Luo Xinyu scored 14 points, Xu Chenyan had 11 points, and Wu Mengjie scored 10 points. For Dongguan, Collier scored 20 points with 4 rebounds and 5 assists, Yang Liwei and Yang Shuyu each scored 9 points, Huang Sijing and Li Wenxia each scored 8 points, Dilana and Yu Dong each scored 6 points.
Shanghai Pudong Development Bank defeated Zhejiang Chouzhou Bank 113-107. Shanghai's Camila Cardoso exploded with 40 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 assists, Chen Yanyu scored 21 points, Arira Glant scored 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Xu Na scored 16 points and 7 rebounds. Five players from the Zhejiang women's basketball team scored in double digits, with Dong Keer scoring 33 points, Ezzie Kalu scoring 29 points with 6 assists and 5 steals, Wang Jiaqi scoring 15 points with 9 assists, Zhang Min scoring 12 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists, and Yu Jiajin scoring 11 points with 5 rebounds.
Shandong Chishui River Wine lost to Inner Mongolia Agricultural Credit 69-72. For Inner Mongolia, Brown scored 33 points with 12 rebounds and 1 steal, Wang Lili scored 12 points with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, Zhang Ru scored 9 points with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 steals, Li Yuan scored 6 points with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal, and Song Ning and Zhang Qifang each scored 5 points. For Shandong, Alanna Smith scored 29 points with 18 rebounds, Yang Hengyu scored 13 points with 12 rebounds and 7 assists.
In the WCBA regular season A Group standings, despite their unbeaten streak of 23 consecutive victories being broken, Sichuan still ranks 1st with a record of 23 wins and 1 loss. Shanxi follows with 19 wins and 5 losses, ranking 2nd. Dongguan is 3rd with 17 wins and 7 losses, while Shanghai and Inner Mongolia both have records of 16 wins and 8 losses, ranking 4th and 5th respectively. Zhejiang Chouzhou ranks 6th, Shandong ranks 7th, Jiangsu Nangang ranks 8th, Beijing ranks 9th, Xinjiang ranks 10th, Shijiazhuang ranks 11th, and Fujian, with only 1 win, is at the bottom.
In B Group Round 26, Wuhan Shengfan Yellow Crane defeated Heilongjiang Shangdong 80-57, Liaoning Dalian Ti Chan defeated Henan Yuguang Gold Lead 82-74, Jiangxi Gansheng suffered a crushing defeat against Hefei Cultural Tourism 55-95, and Shaanxi Tianze defeated Tianjin Guanlan 95-63. In the latest B Group standings, Wuhan leads with 20 wins and 4 losses, Heilongjiang follows with 17 wins and 7 losses in 2nd place, Shaanxi is 3rd with 15 wins and 7 losses, Liaoning Dalian is 4th with 13 wins and 11 losses, Henan is 5th with 14 wins and 8 losses, Hefei is 6th with 13 wins and 9 losses, Jiangxi and Xiamen both have records of 6 wins and 18 losses ranking 7th-8th, and Tianjin, with no wins and 24 losses, is at the bottom.
Currently, Sichuan remains the strongest contender for the championship title, and Shanxi, the only team capable of defeating Sichuan, is likely to secure the runner-up position. The author previously predicted in the article "WCBA Latest Standings, Fujian's First Victory, Sichuan's Championship Unquestioned, Predicting This Team for Second Place" that Shanxi had the strongest potential for second place. However, can the Shanxi women's basketball team with three foreign players go further and replace Sichuan to reclaim the WCBA championship title?