WASHINGTON — When the Eastern Conference All-Stars were trailing by double digits midway through the second quarter, they didn't panic. They kept their poise, rallied for their own big lead and then held off the West for a second straight win.

Cheryl Ford had 16 points and 13 rebounds and Katie Douglas scored 18 points to give the East a 103-99 victory Sunday, its second consecutive win in the All-Star game since losing the first six.

"The biggest thing for us, we weren't rebounding but we were still in the game," the East's Tamika Catchings said. "They were hitting big-time 3s, but one of the things (coach Bill Laimbeer) kept saying was, 'They're not going to keep hitting those 3s all game.' Eventually they did kind of wear out."

The West, which shot 17-for-46 on 3-pointers to set All-Star game records for made and attempted, was 10-for-21 from beyond the arc in the first half.

After Lauren Jackson's 3 gave the West an 11-point lead, Ford began the East's comeback by hitting her first career 3.

"I guess the West rubbed off on me a little bit," she said. "They were shooting 3s, so why not join them?"

The East tied it at 53 going into halftime — with each team setting a record for first-half scoring in the All-Star game. Asjha Jones and Candice Dupree had four points each in an 8-2 run over the final 1:18 of the half, with Dupree scoring the tying basket on a layup with 16 seconds left.

"One of the things we talked about with 2 or 3 minutes left was, 'Let's just tie the game,"' Catchings said. "Either be down just a little bit or tie the game, or even be ahead."