The Chinese team, led by Han Si, confidently defeated Italy with a score of 71:51, allowing them to secure second place in Group D of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, held in Berlin on Monday. Han Si recorded a double-double.
China started the game very actively, establishing a 23:7 lead by the end of the first quarter. The team maintained control in the second period, taking a convincing lead of 40:21 at halftime.
Han helped China extend the gap to a record 25 points early in the third quarter, but the Italians showed strong resistance. A ten-point run allowed the Europeans to close the deficit to 15 points, and they subsequently reduced the deficit to 12 before China could halt their momentum.
At the start of the fourth quarter, China regained control and increased the lead again, securing their second consecutive victory after winning in overtime against the Czech Republic.
Han played the match, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while making eight of eleven field goals and sinking both three-pointers. Yang Shuixiu contributed 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and Zhang Ziyu added eight points.
Statistically, China shot 51% from the field compared to Italy's 38%, and also had a significant advantage from long range, making 42.1% of their three-point attempts, whereas Italy only scored two out of seventeen long-range shots.
In the Italian squad, Matilde Villa was the top scorer with 15 points, and Cecilia Zandalasini added 12 points.
Thanks to this victory, China achieved a tournament record of 2-1 and secured second place in Group D, behind undefeated USA. Italy finished third.
Next, China will play Puerto Rico on Wednesday in the qualification round for the quarterfinals; the winner will face France in the eighth match. Italy will play Australia for a spot in the quarterfinal against Spain.