After six straight losses in the All-Star game, the East now boasts its first winning streak.

Katie Douglas scored 18 points and Cheryl Ford had 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead the East to its second straight victory, 103-99 over the West today in the league's closest All-Star game.

Tamika Catchings had 15 points and 11 rebounds, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Deanna Nolan scored 11 points apiece. Asjha Jones had 10 to help the East hold on after nearly squandering a 12-point lead in the final 2 minutes.

Tina Thompson scored 19 points, Lauren Jackson had 14, and Diana Taurasi and Becky Hammon 13 each for the West, which won the first six midseason games before losing last year in New York. Cappie Pondexter added 12 points and Taj McWilliams-Franklin had 11.

Ford, who hit her first career 3-pointer in the second quarter, shot 5-for-9 from the floor and 5-for-7 on free throws to earn MVP honors.

The West shot 37 percent from the floor, attempting an All-Star game-record 100 field goals. It was 17-for-46 on 3-pointers, records for made and attempted.

The East made 45 percent from the field (40-for-89), 9 of 20 on 3s and 14 of 17 at the line.

Candice Dupree's layup capped a 9-2 run for the East that gave it an 89-75 lead, its biggest of the game, with 6:02 left. Thompson had a 3-pointer, and McWilliams-Franklin made a fastbreak layup to pull the West within nine 24 seconds later.

Douglas hit two 3s in 72 seconds to push the East's lead to 99-87 with 2:26 left.

The West then closed with a 12-4 run. Seimone Augustus made a basket, and Thompson and Hammon hit 3s to close the gap to three with 47 seconds to go.

Anna DeForge made a jumper with 39 seconds to go to push the lead back to five. Hammon made one free throw 6 seconds later to close the scoring.

The West's 81-76 victory in 2002, also in Washington, was the previous closest margin. The East's total was only the second time either squad topped 100, and trailed the West's 122 points in 2005.

After trailing by 11 midway through the second quarter, the East tied it at 53 going into halftime. Asjha Jones and Candice Dupree had four points each in an 8-2 run over the final 1:18 of the half, with Dupree capping the comeback on a layup with 16 seconds left.

Nolan sank a jumper with 8:22 left in the third to give the East its first lead, 55-53, and it never trailed again.

After Taj McWilliams-Franklin's layup pulled the West to 59-58 with 6:03 to go in the third, the East went on a 13-4 run to take its first double-digit lead.