ANKARA
The Czech Republic beat Japan to secure their second victory of the FIBA World Championship for Women, thanks to a solid performance in the last quarter.
The high-tempo Group A game in the Turkish capital, Ankara, started with baskets and speed from each side; the Czechs were only up by two after the first quarter, 18-16.
In the second quarter, Japan started to increase the pressure on the Czech team and lead at the halfway mark by five points, 33-38.
The Czech Republic got their rhythm back in the third period and finished the quarter with a three-pointer to take the lead 53-51.
It was all about the Czech team in the fourth, as the European side outscored Japan 18-6 and won the game by 14 points, thanks to their 12-0 run after trailing 51-48 at the end of the third quarter.
Center Petra Kulichova was on top form for the Czechs, who finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Other Czech players, such as shooting guard Katerina Elhotova (18 points), Katherina Bartonova (11 points) and Ilona Burgrova (13 points), contributed to the victory.
For Japan, shooting guard Michiko Miyamoto's 16 points -- 5 three-point made shots -- and power forward Ramu Tokashiki's 10 points was not enough for the Asian side, which crashed to its second defeat in a row.
- China - Angola: 65-39
In Istanbul, China beat Angola by a significant margin in their Group D clash.
China took control of the game from the second period, restricting the African side to five points throughout the quarter, finishing the half ahead, 30-15.
The rest of the game was one-way traffic as China cruised ahead 65-39 to record their first victory in the tournament.
Small forward Ting Shao and power forward Song Gao were key to China, finishing with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
For Angola, forward Nacissela Mauricio's 18 points and 6 rebounds were not enough as the African side suffered their second loss of the tournament.
Tournament hosts Turkey will play Canada in Group B in Ankara at 19.00 local time (GMT +3).
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