BERLIN, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion the United States opened its FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup campaign with a 94-61 victory over China as all four groups tipped off with eight matches in Berlin on Friday.
Caitlin Clark registered 14 points and 11 assists without committing a turnover as the United States took control early, leading 27-14 after the first quarter. Paige Bueckers and Rhyne Howard also scored 14 points apiece, while Luo Xinyu led China with 13 points and six rebounds.
Gong Luming, head coach of the Chinese women's basketball team, said he was unsatisfied with the team's performance as the players had failed to get their mindsets in the best possible shape.
"On the defensive end, we were not resolute enough when containing their outside shooters. On the offensive end, we also failed to give full play to our inside advantage," he commented. "The players will go back to watch game footage, draw lessons from this contest and strive for a better performance in the next match."
In Group D's other game, Italy claimed its first Women's World Cup victory in more than three decades, beating Czechia 63-54.
Spain also made a strong start in Group A, cruising past host Germany 83-53 after establishing an early double-digit advantage. Awa Fam scored 17 points for Spain, while Leonie Fiebich led Germany with 13.
"The start was very difficult. Spain made everything and we couldn't stop them or react," said Germany coach Olaf Lange. "We never really found solutions. We must look at it, learn from it and move forward. Our goal now is to finish second in the group."
Saki Hayashi scored 27 points through a World Cup-record nine 3-pointers as Japan rallied in the fourth quarter to edge Mali 102-97 in the other Group D game.
In Group B, South Korea pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Nigeria 99-81. France recorded the biggest winning margin of the opening day with a commanding 99-53 victory over Hungary.
In Group C, Belgium registered an 89-75 victory over Türkiye, Australia won 70-54 over Puerto Rico. ■
