2026 World Cup: Cecilia Zandalasini's 19 Points Lead Italy Past Czechia in Nine-Point Win

Italy shook off a tightly contested first half and an early Czechia lead to escape Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin with a 63-54 win on Friday in Group Phase play at the FIBA Women's World Cup. Czechia controlled long stretches of the game and built an 8-point cushion in the second quarter, but Italy stayed within range and finally seized control for good late in the third.
The decisive sequence came with 47 seconds left in the third quarter, when Lorela Cubaj (190-F-1999, college: Georgia Tech)'s layup put Italy ahead 47-45 after Czechia had led 45-44, the last of 12 lead changes on the night. Italy carried that momentum into a broader 8-2 run spanning the third-to-fourth-quarter turn, going 3 of 4 from the field and committing no turnovers while Czechia managed just one field goal on three attempts with no assists or free throws, stretching the margin to 52-45 in Italy's favor. Italy's largest lead of the game reached 11 points twice in the fourth quarter, and Czechia never drew closer than the final 9-point margin.
Cecilia Zandalasini (188-F-1996) led all Italian scorers with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in nearly 33 minutes, providing a steady scoring presence across all four quarters despite a modest 7-of-20 mark from the field. Matilde Villa (171-SG-2004) added 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals without a single turnover, posting a team-best plus-12, and sparked Italy's decisive run with 5 points on perfect shooting. Cubaj chipped in 5 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in the middle of that surge. Czechia's Julie Pospisilova (183-G-1999, college: Wisconsin) was the best player on the floor for either side, finishing with a game-high 21 points on an efficient 8-of-16 shooting, including 4 of 5 from three-point range, along with 4 rebounds, an assist and 3 steals, but she got little scoring help once Italy's fourth-quarter push took hold.