Team USA is on a mission to finish what it started.
Starting hot with a couple of bumps along the way, the Americans have established themselves as the team to beat while continuing their undefeated streak.
U.S. head coach Kara Lawson has the task of managing a mix of veterans and the “young and turnt” crew off the bench to create a balanced matchup against their international competition. With scoring veterans A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum absent, she’s managed to carry out that task with the force she has on her roster.
Team USA is looking for a fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s World Cup gold medal, and so far, the path is looking bright. It hasn’t, however, consistently looked that way. Though they’ve punched their ticket to the semifinals, they still have a tall task ahead.
How have they been getting it done so far?
Game 1 — USA vs. China
USA’s 94-61 win against No. 4-ranked China wasn’t a breeze to open the FIBA World Cup, especially when you consider the unreal size the U.S. had to play through. Chinese center Zhang Ziyu, though young, was measured at 7-foot-4, and there were a handful of players on the team who weren’t far behind her in length.
Size didn’t seem to faze Team USA, however, as Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese stepped up to the challenge in her FIBA debut, alongside Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen, defending the paint and staying on their opponents like glue.
Also making her FIBA debut, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark led the team off the bench with a double-double, finishing with 14 points, 11 assists and three rebounds. She also had zero turnovers and set a record for the most assists in a World Cup debut, surpassing the previous mark of nine set by Alyssa Thomas.
Lawson praised Clark’s energy and playmaking off the bench, along with New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart’s leadership, noting how a variety of other players were able to make an impact to create a complete game.
“That’s what we need,” Lawson said in the postgame press conference. “We’re at our best when we have a lot of different people contributing.”
Clark expressed her gratitude for the support surrounding the game globally and her outlook on improving her game while she was on the floor.
“Even after the game, there’s just so much excitement, not only for myself but for so many players on this team. That’s a really cool thing, and I think that’ll only continue to grow as we progress through the tournament,” Clark said. “…anybody I pass the ball to, it feels like they’re never going to miss a shot. So, that’s one of my goals when I come into the game: facilitate, play fast, set up my teammates, get into the paint, get some penetration. I think especially with their zone.”
Alongside Clark, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, despite getting into early foul trouble, matched Clark’s tally with 14 points. Dream guard Rhyne Howard also added 14 points and made a team-high four 3-pointers.
Shooting 45% from the field against China’s 32% wasn’t a simple task, but with four players finishing in double figures and a strong defensive effort to match, Team USA forced 16 turnovers and came away with a win to open pool play.
The next matchup, however, is where things almost took a turn.
Game 2 — USA vs. Italy
“Let this be the last time that a team plays with more passion than us throughout the course of the game. Let this be the last time that all 12 don’t show up to compete at a high level. And then let this be the last time that we lack a resilient mindset because we’re so upset that we’re not scoring the way we’re normally scoring. Your contribution has to be your effort, your passion, your energy, your intensity that you play with.”
That was Lawson’s speech to the team after a narrowly won 55-52 matchup against Italy.
She added that if the team was going to play what was going to be its worst offensive game of the tournament, it had to have a defense to hold it down.
And that is exactly what Team USA relied on to pull off the win.
This matchup put USA’s skills to the test and exposed the weakness no team wants to see revealed: complacency.
It’s not as if Team USA wasn’t trying, but its showing was lackluster, especially when shots weren’t falling. No one on the team reached double digits until the fourth quarter, and its lone 3-pointer was recorded in the third.
This was the toughest challenge Team USA faced in nearly two decades, and its 55 points marked its lowest-scoring World Cup game since 1971. If Italy had pulled off the upset, it would have also been the first loss Team USA had suffered in two decades.
Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young led the struggling offense with 10 points, while Reese followed with eight and Bueckers added seven. From there, the scoring dropped to Clark’s one point and Mystics guard Sonia Citron’s zero.
Aces guard Chelsea Gray made a few clutch defensive plays near the end to keep Team USA in the game. This helped preserve its lead after Italy capitalized on its zone defense going into halftime and carried that momentum through the third quarter.
Even with the lead, USA wasn’t safe. There was one more chance to tie the game from Italy’s side if Cecilia Zandalasini’s 3-pointer went through. But the Americans could breathe a sigh of relief when it missed at the end-game buzzer.
They punched their ticket to the quarterfinals, but had received a wake-up call after losing their 23-8 lead early in the game.
Reese, who also added three rebounds and two blocks to her eight points in 15 minutes, talked about being ready when her number was called and keeping the energy going, even when the game wasn’t going their way.
“We wanted to make sure we kept the energy high, kept the pace high, and continue to push forward. But I think our vets did a great job at the end, making sure they closed it out,” Reese said.
Young also spoke on her observations from the matchup.
“We just couldn’t get anything to fall today, and so you know, whenever it’s like that, we just got to play out of our defense and get stops,” Young said. “They’re a great team, and we knew they were going to play hard and play with a lot of energy. But it was just on us to pick up our energy and our effort, and you know, I thought we were able to do that in the second half.”
This game, along with Lawson’s speech, was the wake-up call the team needed to turn things around when it faced Czechia less than 24 hours later.
Game 3 — USA vs. Czechia
Team USA’s next matchup was the blowout it was looking for after the previous game. Taking a 105-64 win against Czechia, the team reestablished itself with a complete 180-degree performance where everyone on the team got their way.
All 12 members of the roster scored, but Stewart was the ultimate force of the day, earning the title of TCL Player of the Game. Shooting 8-for-11 from the field, she racked up 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists in her 17 minutes on the floor.
Reese followed with 13 points and six rebounds. Young and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier added 12 points each.
“For [Stewart] and I, we’re going to be facilitators as well and so just knowing that obviously we’re two of the older people on the team and we have a lot of young people,” Collier said. “So this first group, especially when we go out, we have to be able to set the tone and set an example.”
This was the response Team USA needed to bounce back from a rough night. The win also closed out group-stage play and sent the Americans into the knockout stage as the No. 1 seed in the tournament.
Game 4 — USA vs. Hungary
Cue the “USA was more hungry than Hungary” jokes.
Because that was what Team USA’s fourth game displayed in its dominant 108-56 win over Hungary.
Collier was the leader in this matchup, matching Stewart’s tournament-high 19 points and seven rebounds in her 14 minutes on the floor. She set the tone early, racking up 10 points and three rebounds by halftime, and her team followed suit with five players – Young, Clark, Howard and Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper – scoring in double figures by the end of the contest.
The scoring is what people typically look at, but there was something else that stood out even more in the matchup.
“I just heard we had 30 assists, so I feel like that really speaks to it,” Collier said. “We were moving the ball a lot. It wasn’t one-on-one. We were looking for a great shot, not just a good shot. And so, when we play that way, it’s really fun. And I feel like our chemistry is building this game.”
Howard, who was the next leader with 15 points and two assists of her own, had a similar reaction to finding out about their total of assists.
“I think you know, we talked about just getting better with each game and I think we did that today, especially with how we shared it,” Howard said. “I heard that we had a record 30 assists for the tournament and so I think you know if we continue to play like that and continue to keep everybody on the same page, continue to move the ball, it’s going to be really hard to stop us.”
That’s right. Their total of 31 assists was a record for the first team in history to register 30-plus assists in a Women’s World Cup quarterfinal game.
The Clark (10 points, nine assists) and Reese (nine points, three rebounds) duo was also on display as they instantly connected during their shared time on the floor to deliver effortless pick-and-rolls and extend the team’s lead to the end.
The U.S. was set to play Spain next, but before taking a look at the next wake-up call the Americans experienced, let’s look at the young stars that went the extra mile in their FIBA debut.
The Young Standouts of the U.S.
The young stars who’ve consistently shown up in each game have been mentioned briefly, but they can’t be glossed over. They’ve delivered high-intensity performances throughout their first World Cup showing.
Playing with the second unit, the two have delivered the spark off the bench that their veterans have needed despite limited minutes.
In just four games, Bueckers is averaging 9.5 points and 3.5 assists, which is second in both categories for Team USA. Her defensive numbers are also climbing: 1.3 steals per game, third on the team, and one block per game, tied for first.
As for Reese, she’s averaging 8.8 points, six rebounds, 1.5 steals and one block per game. When asked about her defensive efforts in her Team USA debut, this is what she responded.
“Honestly, the mindset I bring every game is to be able to come out there, get deflections, get rebounds, get blocks, get steals,” Reese said. “I know I’m getting defensive player of the year for a reason; I just wanna go out there and prove it.”
The two, along with a variety of the younger crew, have displayed their gratitude to the veterans for their leadership and have expressed how they’ve been learning from them.
Collier also expressed the chemistry between the two groups as they advance in the tournament after their win against Hungary.
“We’re getting used to how each other plays cuz that’s another thing It’s like, you play against these people for so long, but it’s different when you’re playing together. Just knowing where people like to be, how they like the ball, things like that,” Collier said. “And we’re learning that. And so today felt good, not just because of the score, but in the way that we were scoring as well.”
Semi-Finals- USA vs Spain
Although Team USA took a 76-66 win against Spain, it was another game that was too close for comfort as they set their sights on finishing the job in the final.
Clutch performances from Young and Copper came through in the fourth quarter, as they combined for 10 points to close out the quarter and keep their streak going.
USA started slow on offense as Spain took a 9-1 lead to kickstart its momentum early.
They finally found their footing, however, when Howard, Aliyah Boston and Bueckers entered the scene to keep USA alive.
Entering the third quarter, the game became more of a back-and-forth matchup. But as the United States started to find its footing, Spain tied the game to end the quarter, hoping to stun the Americans for the first time in two decades.
Once again, we’re being taught that defense wins games. The Americans allowed only eight points in the fourth quarter and held down both ends of the floor to advance to the final against France.
“Just a battle we knew it would be,” Lawson said. “When it was winning time, we were the superior team and we deserve to be moving on. We’re excited to be playing in a World Cup final tomorrow. It’s pretty awesome.”
The Finale- USA vs France
This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Just when you thought France came back to successfully seek revenge on the Americans after their heartbreaking loss to the U.S. in the 2024 Olympics, Team USA came back from a 14-point deficit to muscle out a 97-79 win and take home the gold for its fifth consecutive World Cup title.
France kicked off the game early, with Gabby Williams leading the way with a dominant performance, shooting 50% from the 3-point line, while her teammate Dominique Malonga also helped lead the team in scoring.
They pushed hard going into the second quarter and left the U.S. in the dust before the American veterans came in to flip the narrative. Young and Stewart were the driving forces for their team and cut the deficit before the younger crew came in to end the half trailing by only two after a deflection by Reese led to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Clark.
Entering the second half, France wasn’t ready for the new surge of energy from the U.S. The Americans had a 30-point third quarter that all but solidified the outcome, with momentum and a collective team effort on their side.
USA’s biggest run came in the final quarter — a 10-0 surge that stretched the lead. It was a collective effort, as USA strung together defensive stops, while Howard brought the defensive intensity off the bench and finished with a game-high four steals.
Stewart led the way for USA, delivering 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 30:11 of action and earning MVP honors.
Young added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists of her own to the stat line. Together, the two veterans combined for 40 points.
“I’ve been fortunate to play with a lot of amazing players and this group was really special,” Stewart said. “The way that we were tested on and off the court, we continued to thrive through. I’m really proud of them and excited to get this gold to bring it home.”
When it came to Stewart’s leadership, she said her main goal was to be honest and genuine with her younger teammates, letting them know the realities of the matchups, but also giving them pep talks before and during games.
“We’re the standard,” Stewart said. “We always have been, and we are continuing to do that, especially with this gold medal. And not forgetting that, it’s always about us.”
Stewart said their defense was the trailblazer coming out of the half once they all agreed that they weren’t starting out playing their best. They had a plan to turn it around in the second half.
When asked if she planned to run it back, she had one answer in mind.
“Oh yeah, see you in LA.”
That capped off Team USA’s fifth consecutive World Cup title. Now, as they look to finish off their WNBA season, they’re looking at their opponents with a newfound respect after having to compete with them and learn their playing styles.
Some, if not all, of the players will use that experience to their advantage.
“I kind of watched the other players that were on the team with me and saw their tendencies. And what I can take away from it and, like, going into the playoffs, some of those players we’re going to play against,” Reese said in a postgame press conference back in Atlanta. “And kind of know a little bit about each player now and also even some of the scouting reports. I was like, ‘Oh, OK, that’s how y’all do things?’ And I told Karl (Smesko).”
For Team USA, the World Cup may be over, but the lessons from the tournament are just beginning to show their value. With the WNBA playoffs around the corner, the experience of competing alongside and against some of the league’s best could give these players another perspective when they return to their teams, and another reason to keep watching what this next generation of Team USA has in store.
