SAN ANTONIO — Cappie Pondexter scored 17 points and Katie Douglas hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 56.7 seconds left, helping the East All-Stars hang on to beat the West in one of the closest WNBA midseason showcases in history, 118-113, on Saturday.
Douglas, the Indiana Fever guard, finished with 15 points and helped the East win just its third All-Star Game in 10 tries — and third in the last four. Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles also had 15 points for the East and headlined a record 10 first-time all-stars in this year’s game.
Swin Cash led the West with 21 points and 12 rebounds and was named MVP for the second time.
The West’s last chance ended when San Antonio’s Becky Hammon, scrambling to shoot a 3-pointer, instead found herself without an open shot and nowhere to pass with 3.5 seconds left. Her desperate bid to escape a trap ended with her being whistled for traveling. Hammon made 3-of-5 shots and finished with eight points.
