Overview
- Team USA opened Group D with a 94-61 win over China in Berlin on Friday, with Caitlin Clark coming off the bench to score 14 points and hand out 11 assists without a turnover.
- FIBA credited Clark with the first Women’s World Cup game of at least 10 assists and zero turnovers since assists and turnovers were tracked, and those 11 dimes are the most for a USA player in a World Cup debut.
- Facing China’s 7-foot-3 center Zhang Ziyu, Team USA used physical interior defense and push-the-pace offense to limit China to 32 percent shooting and create transition chances.
- Late roster withdrawals for health reasons, including A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, trimmed veteran depth but Team USA’s balanced rotation produced contributions from every player and visible on-court chemistry.
- The performance keeps the defending champions on course for the knockout rounds with Group D games vs. Italy and Czechia next, and it has intensified public discussion about player availability, workload, and media narratives that Team USA leaders have publicly pushed back against.