OTTAWA, Ontario — Team USA opened a 21-6 first-quarter lead and steadily widened the margin in a 73-31 win over Germany on Sept. 10 at the 2026 IWBF World Championships for Women.

Courtney Ryan and Rose Hollermann led the U.S. with 15 points each as Team USA shot 46.4 percent from the field, held Germany to 22.4 percent and committed just two turnovers. Hollermann added a game-high 14 rebounds, while Ixhelt Gonzalez finished with six points, seven rebounds and a team-high seven assists.

FAST START

Hollermann scored Team USA’s first six points as the U.S. built an early lead. Ryan followed with a two-point field goal, and Gonzalez scored with 5:35 remaining to make it 10-0.

Germany did not score until Roli-Ann Neubauer converted with 5:17 left in the opening quarter. Team USA answered with scoring from Ryan, Hollermann, Lindsey Zurbrugg and Zoe Voris and carried a 21-6 advantage into the second quarter.

Ryan said the U.S. defense entered the game focused on closing the spaces Germany wanted to attack.

“We knew that they would be coming out looking for those gaps to try and split when we were on defense,” Ryan said. “So making sure that we navigated and made sure that we pinched those gaps to completely eliminate that.”

SECOND-QUARTER CONTROL

Team USA continued to create problems defensively in the second quarter. Germany committed turnovers at 9:44 and 9:22, with Ryan recording a steal on the second, and Zurbrugg added another steal later in the period.

Hollermann converted a field goal and free throw to push the lead to 24-6. Becca Murray followed with a layup, and Hollermann scored again to make it 28-6. Emily Oberst later connected off a Gonzalez assist as the U.S. continued to add to the margin.

Zurbrugg scored twice in the final minute of the half, including a basket with 1.9 seconds remaining, to send Team USA into halftime with a 34-10 lead.

THIRD-QUARTER SEPARATION

Gonzalez opened the U.S. scoring after halftime, and Team USA continued to produce through several lineup combinations. Ryan, Murray, Arelle Middleton and Voris all contributed as the lead expanded.

Ryan assisted Gonzalez for a basket that made it 42-12 and then found Murray on Team USA’s next score. Gonzalez later assisted Middleton for a two-point field goal that pushed the margin to 50-17. Voris scored twice late in the quarter before Germany closed the period with a basket, leaving the U.S. ahead 56-20.

The final statistics reflected Team USA’s possession management and ball movement. The U.S. recorded 17 assists on 32 made field goals while committing only two turnovers. Germany finished with seven assists and 12 turnovers. Team USA also held a 49-37 rebounding advantage.

ROTATION MAINTAINS PRESSURE

Team USA continued to use its depth in the fourth quarter. Voris and Hollermann scored early in the period before Bailey Moody converted two free throws. Middleton later made one free throw and a two-point field goal, giving her three points in the quarter and five for the game. Oberst scored twice in the closing minutes.

Zurbrugg said the team’s ability to maintain its level through substitutions has become an important part of the group.

“There is no drop of intensity when we sub,” Zurbrugg said. “We can put any lineup, any five out there of us 12 strong” and have confidence in the group on the floor.

Murray, Zurbrugg and Voris each finished with eight points, while Oberst and Gonzalez scored six apiece. Middleton added five. Team USA scored all 32 of its field goals from two-point range and finished 9-for-13 at the free-throw line.

The 2026 U.S. roster entered the World Championships with extensive international experience. All 12 athletes have competed at a Paralympic Games, and 10 were members of the U.S. team that earned silver at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

For Ryan, continuing to develop that group comes back to trust.

“The biggest thing for us is just trust,” Ryan said. “Trusting our abilities, trusting our teammates, trusting everything, and trusting the process.”