Team USA defeats China 94-61 in FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup opener

35 sources • 7 min read • Latest: Sep 16, 2026, 12:01 PM

Last updated Sep 16, 2026

Team USA defeats China 94-61 in FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup opener
Summary

Team USA opened its FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup campaign with a 94-61 victory over China on Friday. Caitlin Clark recorded 14 points and 11 assists in her tournament debut, becoming the first player in history to post a double-double with no turnovers. Her performance included a late assist to Angel Reese, who contributed five points and nine rebounds off the bench. The Americans used deep bench rotations to maintain pressure, with all 12 roster members scoring in the contest. Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Rhyne Howard shared the team lead with 14 points each. Team USA continues Group D play against Italy on Sunday followed by a match against Czechia on Monday.

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Status Watch
  • •Team USA defeated China 94-61 in the tournament opener.
  • •Caitlin Clark recorded 14 points and 11 assists with no turnovers.
  • •All 12 players on the Team USA roster scored in the game.
  • •Angel Reese provided nine rebounds during her 17 minutes of play.
  • •Team USA faces Italy on Sunday and Czechia on Monday.
Latest Updates
  • 12:01 PMYahoo Sports — Angel Reese’s reaction to Caitlin Clark’s huge shot says everything about Team USA bond
  • 7:26 AMYahoo Sports — WNBA reporter reacts to Caitlin Clark’s temper tantrum over his Angel Reese friendship question
  • 5:55 AMYahoo Sports — ‘Thanks to (Caitlin Clark),’ ‘The Angel Reese Effect’ — Basketball World Debates Who Fueled Massive 158% Viewership Spike for World Cup Final
  • 9:21 AMYahoo Sports — Dan Dakich exposes Caitlin Clark’s ‘blatant lie’ over friendship with ‘jealous’ Angel Reese
  • 8:12 AMYahoo Sports — Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s viral lunch image after FIBA World Cup explained
  • 4:30 PMYahoo Sports — Caitlin Clark Calls Out Reporter Over Angel Reese Question: ‘Don’t Try to Do That’
  • 3:31 PMNew York Post — Caitlin Clark snaps at Angel Reese question: ‘Don’t try to do that’ - New York Post
  • 1:46 PMYahoo Sports — Are Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese friends? Question draws pointed response from Clark
What they're saying
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After falling behind by as many as 14 points, 31-17, in the first half of the gold medal game of the 2026 FIBA World Cup, Team USA used a blistering second half attack to pull away and win handily , 97-79. But it was the tail end of the second quarter when Team USA began to rally back, energized by a huge defensive stop from Atlanta Dream star […] The post FIBA Women’s World Cup: Angel Reese drops bar after winning gold with Team USA appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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The bitter rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese from college spilled over to the WNBA when they entered the league in 2024 with the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky, respectively. It became a huge issue, as opposing fans added fuel to the fire by going back and forth with incendiary remarks about Clark and Reese. It did not help that the […] The post FIBA Women's World Cup news: Angel Reese squashes beef with Caitlin Clark appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’ s interactions are a subplot of the women’s FIBA World Cup, the WNBA season and if you spend enough time on social media, a divided country. Clark and Reese continue to insist their relationship on the court is fine. Clark said many of the stories about their relationship are “false takes,” saying she loves the fiery competitiveness that she and Reese share.

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