China defeats Czech Republic in overtime at FIBA Women's World Cup

Han Xu delivered a dazzling double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds as China battled from behind to beat Czech Republic 74-70 in overtime on Sunday, claiming its first win at the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin.

China trailed 22-17 after the opening quarter, with the deficit growing to 41-33 at halftime.

Czech Republic's aggressive defense repeatedly disrupted the Chinese offense, as the European side led for more than 33 minutes and scored 27 points off 29 turnovers.

The PRC began to turn the contest around after the break, holding the Czechs to 12 points in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth while gradually closing the gap, before forcing overtime after tying the score at 64-64.

China then outscored Czech Republic 10-6 in the extra period to seal a hard-fought comeback victory.

Han led the Chinese ladies with an efficiency rating of 26, while Veronika Vorackova's rating of 21 paced the Czechs.

China's dominance on the glass proved decisive.

Gong Luming's side outrebounded Czech Republic 53-27, including a 15-6 advantage in offensive rebounds, and outscored the Europeans 44-30 in the paint.

The PRC shot 46 percent from the field, compared to 37 percent for the Czechs, who stayed in contention behind their pressure defense and transition play.

The result improved the Chinese team's record to 1-1 in Group D, following a 94-61 opening loss against defending champion the USA.

China will close out the group stage against Italy on Monday.