WUHAN, March 17 (Xinhua) -- China concluded its FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying campaign with an 83-71 victory over Brazil on Tuesday, while Mali and the Czech Republic also advanced to the finals in September.

Brazil trailed 69-54 entering the fourth quarter but cut the deficit to eight points before Han Xu scored four straight points to steady China. Chen Mingling then made two free throws with 30 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Han led China with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Wang Siyu added 17 points. Zhang Manman and Yang Shuyu contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.

"It's a very valuable chance for Team China to play in a high-level competition. We really need to cherish every opportunity to play, because in the future if we want to step into the top of global basketball, we need to play high-quality teams," China coach Gong Luming told a post-game news conference.

"Our young players handled the pressure well and we gained valuable experience. This is a very good learning experience for our entire team," he added.

China had already secured a World Cup place before the final day of competition. Zhang and Han combined for China's opening nine points, and Chen Yujie hit a 3-pointer off the bench as China led 21-17 at the end of the first quarter.

Emanuely Oliveira's 3-pointer gave Brazil a 28-27 lead, its first since moving 3-0 ahead at the start of the game.

Han responded with a jumper, and China carried a four-point lead into halftime.

China opened the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers from Luo Xinyu and Han to build its first double-digit lead at 52-42, then extended the margin to 15 points heading into the final period.

Also on Tuesday, four Mali players scored in double figures as the team cruised to a 97-74 win over South Sudan.

In a closely contested first half, Mali capitalized on South Sudan's 13 turnovers to take a 42-36 lead into the break.

Mali stretched the lead to 11 points on Alima Dembele's jumper midway through the third quarter.

Trailing by 18 points early in the final period, South Sudan briefly improved its outside shooting, with Nyamer Diew hitting two straight 3-pointers. After a timeout, Mali regained control and took advantage of South Sudan's mistakes to move 81-59 ahead with five minutes remaining.

Holding a 24-point advantage with two minutes left, Mali had effectively secured the win.

Dembele led Mali with 20 points, while Maimouna Haidara and Kamite Elisabeth Dabou added 19 and 16, respectively.

South Sudan, which finished winless in five qualifying games, committed 26 turnovers, compared with Mali's seven.

Perina Leime scored a game-high 21 points for South Sudan. Diew had 19 before fouling out with 2:57 to play.

Belgium maintained a perfect record by cruising past the Czech Republic 93-50.

Kyara Linskens scored a team-high 22 points for Belgium, while Julie Vanloo added 15. Emma Meesseman contributed 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Mali, the Czech Republic and Brazil all finished with two wins and three losses, with Mali and the Czech Republic advancing on superior point difference in their head-to-head results.

The 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup will be held in Berlin from September 4-13, with 16 teams competing.■