China Women’s Basketball Team Advances Successfully; Knockout Opponent Confirmed as Gong Luming Responds

In the early hours of September 8 Beijing time, China defeated Italy 71-51 in the Women’s Basketball World Cup group stage, winning by 20 points. China finished the group stage with a 2-1 record and advanced to the quarterfinal qualification round as the second-place team in Group D. Their next opponent is Puerto Rico, the third-place team in Group C. The United States went 3-0 and advanced directly to the quarterfinals.

This Women’s Basketball World Cup expanded from 12 teams to 16 teams and introduced new rules. The 16 teams were divided into four groups, with the group winners advancing directly to the quarterfinals. The second- and third-place teams in each group play quarterfinal qualification games, with single-game elimination: winners advance to the quarterfinals and losers are eliminated. Under the previous format, the top two teams in each group would already have secured quarterfinal spots.

Returning to today’s game, China’s defense was highly targeted from the start. Italy shot 3-of-14 in the first quarter, including just 1-of-8 from three-point range. The four-quarter scores were as follows (China first): 23-7, 17-14, 15-21, 16-9. China made 8 of 19 three-point attempts, while Italy made 2 of 17. Both teams committed 10 turnovers.

Italy is not a weak team. They defeated the Czech Republic by 9 points in the group stage and only lost to the United States by 3 points, nearly tying the game in the final moments. Han Xu once again anchored China’s interior, shooting 8-of-11 from the field, 2-of-2 from three-point range, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line for 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 assist, with a plus-minus of +12. In the previous game against the Czech Republic, Han Xu recorded 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists.

After three group-stage games, Han Xu averaged 17.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1 steal per game, with shooting percentages of 51.2%, 54.5%, and 66.7%. Reserve center Zhang Ziyu played 8 minutes and 28 seconds today, shooting 4-of-7 for 8 points and 3 rebounds, with a plus-minus of +5. This is only Zhang Ziyu’s first World Cup, so everyone should be more patient.

Yang Shuyu shot 6-of-12 from the field, 2-of-5 from three-point range, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line in this game, finishing with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block, with a plus-minus of +18. Across three group-stage games, Yang Shuyu averaged 12.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, with shooting percentages of 47.1%, 33.3%, and 50%. Free throws have become an issue for China, with the team shooting 69.4% from the line.

After the game, China head coach Gong Luming said: “Today was the team’s best performance, and the veteran players performed very well. Puerto Rico is a strong team. They defeated Turkey today, and we will carefully study how to play the next game well.” At 11:45 p.m. Beijing time on September 9, China will face Puerto Rico. Don’t miss it!