China Women’s Basketball Team Beats Italy 71-51, Secures Second Place in Group; Quarterfinals Path Looks Promising

From a 36-point loss to a 20-point win, China’s women’s basketball team completed its most convincing redemption in Berlin.

At Berlin’s Max-Schmeling-Halle, when the final whistle sounded and the scoreboard stopped at 71-51, the Chinese players celebrated together. A 20-point victory over Italy and second place in Group D—this was a result few people could have imagined a week earlier.

Not long ago in warm-up games, China faced Italy twice and lost by a combined 36 points. The gap between the world No. 4 team and No. 14 team seemed impossible to overcome against Italy’s quick and flexible defensive style. But that is the charm of competitive sports—on the same court against the same opponent, everything changed half a month later.

A suffocating 23-7: a game decided from the first second

The opening of the game could almost be described as perfect. Luo Xinyu hit a three-pointer, Yang Shuyu scored on a driving layup, and Han Xu attacked inside repeatedly—China built a 14-5 lead and forced Italy to call a timeout. The first quarter ended 23-7.

What did this mean? China shot 10-for-16 in the first quarter at 63 percent, while Italy made only 3 of 14 shots and went 1-for-8 from three-point range. Italy’s zone defense, one of its strengths, was ineffective against Han Xu’s inside presence and Yang Shuyu’s drives. Collapsing inside left open three-point opportunities; extending outward allowed Han Xu and Zhang Ziyu to attack near the basket.

China led 40-21 at halftime, a 19-point advantage. It was not only a domination on the scoreboard, but also a complete victory in tactics and mentality.

Han Xu—deservedly the team’s anchor

If one MVP had to be selected for this game, there was no doubt.

Han Xu scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, shooting 8-for-11 overall and 2-for-2 from three-point range. She recorded double-doubles in all three group-stage games. Her dominance inside was difficult to contain—post moves, mid-range jumpers and outside threes all contributed, while Italy’s interior players struggled against her 14-centimeter height advantage. One fan commented after the game: “The only true carry player on the court, we relied on you.”

Yang Shuyu continued her clutch performance from the previous game against the Czech Republic, finishing with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. In the previous game she forced overtime with a driving layup with 3.9 seconds remaining; this time her drives, three-pointers and playmaking all contributed. The duo of Han Xu and Yang Shuyu has fully raised China’s offensive ceiling.

Zhang Ziyu’s “awakening”—from X-factor to surprise weapon

The biggest question before the game was Zhang Ziyu. Against the Czech Republic in the previous game, she shot 1-for-3 and scored only 3 points, struggling with fouls, traveling violations and confidence.

But today she looked like a different player. Coming off the bench, she scored easily inside, shooting 4-for-7 in 8 minutes for 8 points and 3 rebounds, with only one turnover and no fouls. As fans said: “After making her first left-handed hook shot, her expression and body language became much more positive.”

Her recovery is significant—in the upcoming knockout stage, China will have two tall interior options in Han Xu and Zhang Ziyu, creating difficult choices for opponents’ defensive plans.

All pre-game concerns disappeared

Before the game, the three biggest concerns—turnovers, outside shooting and interior receiving—were all answered perfectly.

China did not fall into Italy’s full-court pressing trap. The guards advanced smoothly and the inside-outside connection worked well. The team shot 8-for-15 from three-point range, above 53 percent, breaking the outside shooting struggles from previous warm-up games. Wang Siyu added 5 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals, significantly improving the organization from the guard position.

Compared with the two warm-up games half a month ago, this Chinese team looked like a completely different side.

Qualification situation: avoiding Australia, quarterfinal hopes rise

After this game, China finished the group stage with a 2-1 record and secured second place in Group D. According to the rules, the group winner advances directly to the quarterfinals, while the second- and third-place teams enter the 12-to-8 playoff round.

Final Group D standings: the United States finished first and advanced directly, China placed second, and Italy third. The Czech Republic was eliminated with a 0-3 record.

The playoff matchups were also confirmed:

China Women’s Basketball Team vs Puerto Rico

Italy vs Australia

Japan vs Hungary

South Korea vs Germany

This draw is highly favorable for China. Puerto Rico finished third in Group C and has relatively limited overall strength. If China had lost to Italy and advanced as the third-place team, it would have faced Australia, which has seven WNBA players, in the playoff round—a completely different level of challenge.

One victory brought China the best possible path toward the quarterfinals.

From two heavy warm-up defeats to a 20-point win in the final group game, China completed its redemption in the strongest way possible.

The meaning of this victory goes far beyond a second-place group finish. It showed China’s ability to make tactical adjustments and rebuild confidence in a short period; it showed that the Han Xu-Yang Shuyu duo can consistently produce under high-intensity competition; and it showed Zhang Ziyu can make an impact within the right system.

Of course, the road ahead remains difficult. After Puerto Rico, the quarterfinals could bring a matchup with a world-class team. But this Chinese team, which rediscovered itself in Berlin, has already given people hope of making a run at the semifinals.

As one fan wrote after the game: “I cried after the first half ended. Not because we were leading by 19 points, but because I finally saw the familiar Chinese women’s basketball team again.”

Quarterfinal playoff round, keep pushing, girls.