Photo Credit: USA Basketball/Instagram
By: Jennifer Portee
Team USA got its offense back in a hurry Monday night, shaking off a sluggish game against Italy and defeating Czechia 105-64 at Berlin Arena to complete Group D play unbeaten at the FIBA Women’s World Cup.
Breanna Stewart took control right away. She scored 11 points in the first quarter as the Americans opened a 29-15 lead, their highest scoring period of the tournament. The U.S. hit four 3-pointers in those first 10 minutes four more than it made in the entire Italy game and shot 50% from the field.
That early run changed the night. Czechia never found enough offense to make the Americans uncomfortable, and the U.S. spent the rest of the game playing with the pace and ball movement that had been missing two nights earlier.
Stewart finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. By halftime, she already had 13 points, six boards and six assists, picking apart Czechia whether it sent help toward her in the paint or left shooters open. She is now 23-0 in Women’s World Cup games, tied for the second most wins without a loss in tournament history behind Soviet Union great Uljana Semjonova’s 29.
Napheesa Collier added 12 points and six rebounds, doing most of her work in the first half. She scored 12 points before the break after managing 10 total through the Americans’ first two group games.
The U.S. had contributions across the roster. All 12 players scored, five players recorded at least three assists, and the Americans finished with 32 assists on 42 made baskets. They shot 52.5% from the field and became the third team in the tournament to reach 100 points.
Against Italy, Team USA’s possessions often bogged down and the perimeter shots never arrived. Monday, the ball moved from side to side, guards got into the lane, and Czechia spent too much time rotating to cover cutters and open shooters. The Americans made seven 3-pointers, but the real damage came from consistently getting clean looks before Czechia’s defense could reset.
The defense stayed just as reliable. Czechia shot 32.8% from the field and went 3-for-30 from 3-point range. Through three group stage games, U.S. opponents are shooting 32.1% overall and 15.6% from deep, and no team has scored more than 19 points in a quarter against the Americans.
The U.S. moves on to Thursday’s quarterfinal, where it will face the winner of Tuesday’s Hungary-Japan game. The opponent and tip time are still to be determined, but the Americans leave group play with exactly what they needed after the Italy game: a dominant win, a much cleaner offensive performance, and their best reminder yet that when the ball moves, few teams can stay with them.