BERLIN – Han Xu delivered a dominant double-double as China came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 74-70 in overtime on Sunday, claiming its first victory at the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.
China trailed 22-17 after the opening quarter and fell eight points behind by halftime at 41-33. The Czech Republic's aggressive defense repeatedly disrupted China's offense, as it led for more than 33 minutes and scored 27 points from China's 29 turnovers.
China began to turn the contest around after the interval. It restricted the Czech Republic to 12 points in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth, gradually cutting the deficit before forcing overtime with the score tied at 64-64.
China then outscored the Czech Republic 10-6 in the extra period to seal a hard-earned comeback victory.
Han led China with an efficiency rating of 26, while Veronika Vorackova recorded a team-high rating of 21 for the Czech Republic.
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China's dominance on the boards proved decisive. Gong Luming's side outrebounded the Czech Republic 53-27, including a 15-6 advantage in offensive rebounds, and outscored its opponent 44-30 in the paint.
China shot 46 percent from the field, compared with the Czech Republic's 37 percent, although the European side stayed in contention through its pressure defense and transition play.
The result improved China's record to 1-1 in Group D following its opening 94-61 loss to defending champion the United States. China will conclude the group phase against Italy on Monday.
