Team USA women’s basketball remained dominant on the world stage on Sunday.
Breanna Stewart, Jackie Young and Caitlin Clark’s emergence off the bench propelled the Americans to a gold-medal victory over France, 97-79. It is Team USA’s fifth consecutive gold medal in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and seventh in the last eight tournaments.
The U.S. had to fight and claw its way back into the game after trailing in the first half. But they outscored France 30-12 in the third quarter and used the run to help solidify the victory.
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Stewart had a double-double to finish off the French. She scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. The New York Liberty star’s presence on the interior proved to be a game-changer. She was plus-8 on the floor and shot 70% from the field. She was named MVP of the tournament.
Jackie Young added 18 points, six rebounds and five assists. Young was plus-15 on the floor and shot 50% from the field. She was named the player of the game.
Clark played about 12 minutes off the bench but provided some key buckets for the Americans. She made a buzzer-beating shot before halftime to cut the deficit to two points. As the U.S. continued to surge into the fourth quarter, Clark hit a big 3-pointer to put France on its heels.
She finished with 12 points and three assists.
Though Clark wasn’t a starter in the USA lineup, her presence on the floor in key moments of the game appeared to be fruitful. While the starters needed a breather after getting back into the game, Clark and the rest of her teammates off the bench helped provide the necessary scoring to keep France at bay.
France started out hot.
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The duo of Dominique Malonga and Gabby Williams proved to be a formidable force for the Americans to deal with. Malonga scored 21 points to lead France, while Williams added 20 of her own. France didn’t get any other player into double figures. Valeriane Ayayi was the closest as she scored eight points in 26 minutes.
France only made four field goals in the third quarter and the cold streak allowed the U.S. to take the lead and pull away from there.
It is now 12 gold medals in total for the U.S. as they have remained dominant no matter which global tournament they enter.
France may have been the biggest challenge to the U.S. reign as they only lost by one to them in the gold medal game at the 2024 Summer Olympics. But the emergence of young stars like Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese helped keep the Americans at the top of the food chain throughout the tournament.
The players will take a moment to celebrate the achievement but in a few days, it’s back to the WNBA where the playoffs are on the horizon.
