BERLIN – The United States kicked off its FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup title defense with a commanding 94-61 victory over China on Friday, powered by standout contributions from its emerging young core and led by impressive play from Caitlin Clark.
Clark finished the matchup with a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists, while teammate Rhyne Howard matched Clark’s 14-point output. Forward Jackie Young chipped in 12 points for the defending champions, who extended their historic unbeaten run at the tournament to 31 consecutive wins, a streak that stretches all the way back to a semifinal defeat at the 2006 FIBA World Cup.
This tournament marks a period of rebuilding and transition for the U.S. program, which brings a youthful roster to this year’s competition. Standout rising stars Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese all came off the bench as reserves, but the trio shared the court to close out the first quarter, helping the U.S. build a dominant 27-14 advantage heading into the second frame.
China battled back early in the second quarter, with 19-year-old 7-foot-3 center Zhang Ziyu, making her first ever World Cup appearance, emerging as a formidable force for the Chinese side. Her imposing frame created major headaches for U.S. players on both ends of the court: on defense, she anchored the paint, cutting off U.S. driving lanes and making second-chance scoring nearly impossible. On offense, the U.S. was forced to send double-teams to contest every time Zhang touched the ball inside.
Zhang’s first field goal of the game cut the U.S. lead to just eight points at 33-25 with 6:21 remaining in the first half. But the U.S. responded with a decisive 16-4 scoring run to close the half, stretching their advantage to 20 points at 49-29. Young notched a three-point play during the spurt, and Breanna Stewart closed out the run with four consecutive points to end the half.
In the third quarter, China paired Zhang with 6-foot-10 center Han Xu, creating an even more imposing twin-tower frontcourt that formed a daunting defensive wall in the paint. China managed to trim the U.S. lead to 16 points at 53-37, but could not pull any closer. Once again, the U.S.’s young reserve trio stepped up to spark a 17-5 run that closed out the third quarter and extended the American advantage out of reach.
For China, Zhang put together a solid debut performance, finishing with 13 points, nine of which came from the free-throw line on 10 attempts. Han recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.
In a rare twist for international competition, where the U.S. national team is often met with boos from host crowds, the American side received enthusiastic support from fans in attendance on Friday. Clark, who regularly signs autographs for fans during WNBA matches, stopped to sign a basketball and pose for a photo with a young fan wearing an Indiana Fever shirt emblazoned with Clark’s name.
Looking ahead, the U.S. will return to the court for its second pool play game against Italy on Saturday. China will face the Czech Republic in its next pool matchup the same day.