Team USA finished group stage at the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup with a 105-64 victory over Czechia Monday on Sept. 7 in Berlin, Germany.
The Americans improved to 3-0 at the Women’s World Cup, completing a sweep of Group D. The 41-point victory is the USA's 33rd consecutive World Cup win, a streak that dates back to 2006.
Team USA was coming off a 55-52 victory over Italy on Sunday, the Americans' lowest point total at the World Cup since 1984. They bounced back with six players in double figures against Czechia. Breanna Stewart led Team USA with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 17 minutes. Angel Reese added 13 points, Napheesa Collier and Jackie Young 12 each and Paige Bueckers and Sonia Citron 10 each.
"I thought it was
a great response that we had from yesterday's game. Obviously, we didn't shoot well, but coming out with the aggression that we did, especially on defense, I thought our on ball defense was pretty good," Collier said. "I saw a lot of people got their hands in."
The Americans advance to the quarterfinals and will play the winner of Japan-Hungary on Thursday, Sept. 10. Here are the winners and losers USA vs. Czechia:
Winners
Breanna Stewart, USA veterans
The “Young and Turnt” crew may be the future of Team USA, but the team’s experienced core of veterans proved they are the present. With nine first-time players in the World Cup, the veterans reset the standard for the rookies to follow on Monday. That’s exactly what they did.
USA’s experienced core set the tone early, with Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier combining for 25 points in the first half. Stewart finished with 19 points, seven rebonds and six assists in 17 minutes in the win.
“I wanted to come out and really lead this team in a number of ways,” said Stewart, the player of the game. “We wanted to make sure today we really took things into our own hands and really lead by example.”
Stewart, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, is appearing in her fourth World Cup, joining Sue Bird (5) and Diana Taurasi (4) as the only American women to make at least four appearances. If USA goes on to win gold, Stewart will tie Bird for the most World Cup gold medals.
USA’s response
After USA survived Italy’s nail-biting comeback bid, USA head coach Kara Lawson was candid with her newly-formed team. She challenged their passion, ability to compete and intensity, which should be a given representing the red, white and blue.
“Let this be the last time that a team plays with more passion than us throughout the course of the game,” Lawson said. “Let this be the last time that all 12 (players) don't show up to compete at a high level. And then let this be the last time that we lack a resilient mindset because we're so upset that we're not scoring the way we're normally scoring. Your contribution has to be your effort, your passion, your energy, your intensity that you play with.”
There was no question the Americans wanted to win on Monday. USA came out motivated, responding with a 41-point margin of victory against Czechia, their largest win of the tournament. Every USA player scored in the matchup.
“I knew our offense would come around. I’m so pleased with the way they are playing. Their effort and energy,” Lawson said at halftime. “That was good to see."
Kiki Iriafen
Kiki Iriafen proved you always have to stay ready. After logging a DNP in USA’s win over Italy on Sunday, head coach Kara Lawson called Iriafen’s number in Monday’s matchup against Czechia. Her impact was immediately felt. Iriafen recorded five points and 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass, plus one steal in eight minutes of work.
Team USA 3-point shooting
Team USA couldn't buy a basket from long range in Sunday's game against Italy as the Americans shot 1-of-12 from beyond the arc. The U.S. bounced back on Monday as Breanna Stewart knocked down a 3-pointer with 9:09 remaining in the first quarter to open scoring for the Americans.
Team USA had five 3s in the first half and finished 7-for-25. Seven different players made a 3-pointer in the game.
"We took some strides in transition offense," USA coach Kara Lawson said. "I thought we made some strides in our half court offensive execution, and our defensive awareness."
Losers
Czechia getting bounced from the tournament
Let's not mince words, the United States did not play well against Italy. The pulled it together against Czechia, making three consecutive 3-pointers to open the game and going on a 13-4 run to take a 14-point lead after the first quarter.
Czechia finished the tournament 0-3, losing to Italy and China in Group D play.
"We played against the best of the best, the United States," Czechia head coach Romana Ptáčková said. "It was really tough. We knew that, we knew that it's going to be hard in a low post and they showed us that."
Czechia was outrebounded 55-35 by the U.S. and outscored 52-30 in the paint. Czechia also committed 16 turnovers.
Czechia guard liska Joklova
Monday was a rough day for Czechia guard Eliska Joklova. Hours ahead of Czechia’s matchup against the USA, the Minnesota Lynx announced they were waiving Joklova to make room for newly-signed guard Aari McDonald. Czechia went on to suffer a 41-point loss to USA to add insult to injury. Joklova had a team-high 19 points in the loss, the only Czech player to reach double digits, but it was nowhere near enough to keep up with the Americans.
USA turnovers
Team USA took care of the ball in the first half with zero turnovers in the first quarter and just two at halftime. The second half was a different story with 11 turnovers. Czechia scored 11 points off America's mistakes.
"We're improving every day. ... Every day that we're together, we're getting understanding of how to play off of one another, even how to communicate off of one another," USA coach Kara Lawson said.
Look for that communication to lead to less turnovers as the tournament progresses toward the medal round.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA vs. Czechia winners and losers as Breanna Stewart, vets bounce back
