After China's Women's Basketball Team Beats Czech Republic 74-70, Fans Recognize Four Facts: Our Level Has Declined Quickly

This was an extremely tense and difficult contest. From an even start, to trailing by eight points at halftime, and still being behind after three quarters, China’s women's basketball team saw several chances to tie or take the lead in the final quarter, but repeated turnovers and missed open opportunities repeatedly drained their hopes.

The score remained extremely close throughout. After the game was tied at 53-53, the situation suddenly changed, with the Czech team opening a five-point lead late. China’s women's basketball team fought back to tie the game, and after overtime, China defeated the Czech women's team 74-70.

Although China’s women's basketball team won this game, it revealed four facts that deserve careful examination. In reality, the team did not play well, and compared with four years ago, our level has declined very quickly.

Fact one: 25 turnovers in the game, with the team struggling throughout

So many turnovers were not only caused by the opponent's high-pressure defense, but also came from basic mistakes such as sideline inbound passes, simple cross-court passes, and receiving the ball in the paint. Sideline inbounds were directly given away, passes were thrown out of bounds because of excessive force, and slow reactions when receiving the ball inside allowed opponents to steal repeatedly, giving away possession again and again.

The Czech team took advantage of the turnovers to launch fast breaks. Yocklova repeatedly completed coast-to-coast attacks after steals. Many points conceded were not from being beaten in half-court offense, but from giving away opportunities themselves. The numerous turnovers disrupted the offensive rhythm, and one mistake could immediately extinguish the team's momentum.

Fact two: The team had a twin-tower interior lineup but failed to turn its height advantage into consistent scoring

Han Xu and Zhang Ziyu, the two interior players, shared the court, which theoretically provided a huge height advantage, but the actual effect was greatly reduced. After Zhang Ziyu entered, she repeatedly faced fronting and double teams, making it very difficult to receive the ball. She also committed multiple offensive fouls, was frequently called for fouls when raising her elbow during post moves, and made only 1 of 4 free throws. Her playing time was cut into very short stretches.

Han Xu was the most reliable player on the team, recording a double-double of 22 points and 14 rebounds after three quarters. She scored on putbacks and hit a key three-pointer, but whenever she received the ball, she immediately faced multiple defenders, and teammates struggled to provide comfortable passes. With the twin towers on the court, rebounding was secured, but the offense did not flow smoothly and the advantage was not fully utilized.

Fact three: Many open three-point chances, but the team collectively struggled and frequently missed badly

China’s women's basketball team did not lack three-point opportunities in this game. Luo Xinyu, Yang Shuyu, Zhang Manman, and Jia Saiqi all had open looks from outside. However, many wide-open shots missed, and some attempts failed to even touch the rim.

In the fourth quarter, Luo Xinyu missed an open corner three, Yang Shuyu's outside shot bounced out, and Zhang Manman forced a difficult three-pointer late in the shot clock. It was not that the team failed to create plays; the tactics worked and the ball movement created chances, but the shots were not converted into points.

Every missed three-pointer meant having to turn around and defend the opponent's transition attack. A gap that could have been erased remained on the scoreboard repeatedly. In contrast, the Czech players such as Volakova, Pospisilova, and Holesinska were able to seize their chances and hit long-range shots, producing a more balanced inside-out attack.

Fact four: After several ties in the final quarter, the defense could not withstand the opponent's star player's surge in key moments

The fourth quarter was full of twists and turns. At 53-53, both teams returned to the same starting point, and everyone thought China’s women's basketball team was about to complete the comeback. But in the most critical moments, Czech core player Yocklova completely found her rhythm.

She repeatedly initiated attacks through pick-and-rolls, accelerating past the defense of Zhang Manman and Yang Shuyu to drive directly to the basket and score easy layups several times. After 59-57, Yocklova helped her team continue scoring, extending the lead to five points. With 27.3 seconds remaining, China’s women's basketball team was forced to call a timeout and had fallen into a difficult chase situation. Fortunately, Luo Xinyu's key three-pointer kept the team alive; otherwise, the game would have truly been lost.

We saw the players fighting hard: Han Xu battled for rebounds, Yang Shuyu repeatedly attacked the basket, and Luo Xinyu fought for offensive rebounds. However, the team did not do enough in defending pick-and-rolls or limiting the opponent's key guard. Once the opponent's core player got going, it was difficult to contain her. This victory was hard-earned, but the team truly did not play well.