The United States opened its pursuit of a fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup championship with a dominant performance in Berlin.
Team USA defeated China 94-61 on Friday, taking control early before Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers helped turn the opener into a rout during their World Cup debuts. The victory extended the Americans’ winning streak at the tournament to 31 consecutive games, dating back to their semifinal loss in 2006.
Clark came off the bench and immediately changed the pace of the game, finishing with 14 points and 11 assists without committing a turnover. Her 11 assists were the most by a United States player in a Women’s World Cup game since Dawn Staley recorded 12 against Russia in 1998.
Bueckers also scored 14 points, with all of them coming in the second half. Rhyne Howard added 14 points, while Jackie Young finished with 12.
USA Takes Control Early Against China
Neither Clark nor Bueckers was part of Kara Lawson’s starting lineup, but the United States did not need long to establish control.
The Americans led 27-14 after the first quarter, with Clark, Bueckers and Angel Reese sharing the floor late in the period. All three were making their World Cup debuts as part of a United States roster featuring nine first-time World Cup players.
China’s biggest problem for the Americans came from an unusually imposing source.
At 7-foot-3, 19-year-old center Zhang Ziyu created difficulties around the basket on both ends. Her size forced the United States to reconsider some attempts inside, while the Americans regularly sent additional defenders toward her when China got her the ball in the post.
Zhang’s first field goal reduced the deficit to 33-25 with 6:21 remaining in the second quarter.
The response was decisive.
The United States closed the half on a 16-4 run, with Young producing a three-point play before Breanna Stewart scored the final four points of the stretch. Team USA entered halftime with a commanding 49-29 advantage.
Clark and Bueckers Help USA Pull Away
China attempted to make its extraordinary size advantage even more difficult to handle after halftime by playing Zhang alongside 6-foot-10 Han Xu.
The combination briefly helped China reduce the deficit to 53-37.
That was as close as China would get.
Clark, Bueckers and Reese helped ignite a 17-5 run to finish the third quarter, pushing the United States advantage to 70-42 entering the fourth.
Bueckers became increasingly influential during that stretch after going scoreless in the opening half. She scored all 14 of her points after halftime, while Clark continued creating opportunities for teammates with her passing.
Clark’s performance was particularly significant because she produced her double-double without starting.
The Indiana Fever guard was named Player of the Game after recording 14 points and 11 assists in her first appearance at a senior global championship.
Team USA eventually pushed its advantage as high as 35 points and led for more than 38 minutes. The Americans shot 45 percent from the field, compared with China’s 32 percent, and connected on 37.5 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Zhang Ziyu Makes Her Presence Felt for China
The final margin did not prevent Zhang from producing one of the most notable individual performances of the opener.
She finished with 13 points, converting nine of her 10 free throws while adding two blocked shots. Her height and reach repeatedly affected how the Americans approached the basket.
Han Xu added 11 points and 10 rebounds for China.
The United States countered China’s size collectively. Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Aliyah Boston and Reese combined for 24 rebounds, while Team USA also finished with six blocks and nine steals.
The Americans won every quarter, outscoring China 27-14, 22-15, 21-13 and 24-19.
The 94-61 victory gives the United States its first win in Group D and an emphatic beginning to its title defense in Berlin.
Clark and Bueckers entered the tournament as two of the most closely watched players on a younger American roster.
Their World Cup debuts provided an immediate glimpse of what they can bring, with Clark controlling the game as a scorer and facilitator and Bueckers supplying 14 second-half points as the United States overwhelmed China.
