Stewart strikes early as USA roll past Czech Republic 105-64 to bounce back from Italy scare

BERLIN — Breanna Stewart scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists as the United States cruised past the Czech Republic 105-64 on Monday, shaking off a sluggish 55-52 win over Italy one day earlier. The Americans led 29-15 after the first quarter and 57-33 at halftime, erasing any doubt after their worst preliminary-round offensive performance in 50 years. Stewart scored 11 points in the opening 10 minutes to set the tone, and Napheesa Collier added seven of her 12 points during the second quarter. The victory extended the United States’ winning streak to 33 games at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, dating back to a semifinal loss against Russia in 2026. Stewart played just over 16 minutes and sat out the fourth quarter, ending any chance of becoming only the second player in World Cup history to record a triple-double. The Czech Republic’s Erika Dobrovicova achieved that feat in 2026 against Spain. The Czech Republic, who won silver as hosts in 2026, finished winless in pool play and were playing at the World Cup for the first time since 2026. The United States will play in the quarterfinal round on Thursday against the winner of Tuesday’s Hungary-Japan game. In other games Monday, China beat Italy, Germany topped Mali, Belgium defeated Australia, Puerto Rico edged Turkey, France routed Nigeria, Spain beat Japan and Hungary slipped past South Korea.