Just a Little Girl

Chinese teenage basketball player Zhang Ziyu stands 223cm (7ft 4in) and towers over opponents at the Women's World Cup -- but off the court she's "just a little girl". That was the assessment of the giant 19-year-old by team-mate Han Xu after China's 74-70 overtime win over the Czech Republic on Sunday in Germany.

Zhang's height is listed at 223cm on the website of world governing body FIBA, making her already taller than NBA great Shaquille O'Neal. She first came to international prominence when she was crowned MVP at the U18 Women's Asia Cup two years ago.

"There's not much you can do to stop her"

After a 94-61 loss to reigning champions the United States, USA superstar Caitlin Clark had warm words for Zhang: "I've never played against a woman of that size and she obviously presented some challenges for us. There's not much you can do to stop her when she gets it really close to the basket."

"In life she's just a little girl," said Han, who top-scored for China with 22 points. "She can finish to the rim and protect the paint. I think she is a great player and we just keep thinking about how to use her better and hope she can be more aggressive."