United States recovered from an early fright to maintain their unbeaten record with victory over a spirited Czech Republic team in the women's basketball tournament.

America were sloppy early on and trailed by two points at the end of the first quarter.

Czech Republic were unable to maintain their early success and fell away under a barrage of US pressure.

The final score of 88-61 flattered America and they will expect a marked improvement when the tournament reaches the knockout stages.

Diana Taurasi and Tina Charles top scored in the Group A match, with 18 and 16 points respectively.

America will need to be back at their best to defeat closest rivals China in their final group match on Sunday.