The United States women’s national team hasn’t lost a game in 20 years. It looked like that counter was about to be reset back zero when they found themselves down 14 in the second quarter.
Spoiler alert: the ticker will soon be changing to 21 years since their last lost.
The epic second half comeback by the Americans reminded the world just how dominant
they are, using their defense to squeeze the life out of a very strong French national team chalk full of top WNBA talent. France, who was the top scoring team of the tournament, established their lead off blistering hot three-point shooting in the first half (54%). Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t keep up pace, cratering back to the mean (36%).
Breanna Stewart (22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists) and Jackie Young (18 points, six rebounds, five assists) were the leaders for Team USA, helping their team decisively win their fifth straight FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup title.
They’ve extended their undefeated streak to 36 straight games now.
Napheesa Collier had some important contributions all throughout the tournament, including the gold medal game. She had a critical stretch during the momentum shifting third quarter where she was making hustle plays on both ends of the court. She finished the game with six points, seven rebounds, and an assist.
Team USA head coach Kara Lawson deployed a unique 10-player rotation throughout the tournament. Phee started all six games for the United States and ended up tied as the third leading scorer of the team. Collier’s final per game averages for the tournament were nine points and five rebounds on 50% shooting from the field.
Just weeks before her 30th birthday, Collier now adds a FIBA World Cup gold medal to her already overflowing trophy case.
There were a few other Minnesota Lynx players (and a now former player) that we got to see throughout the tournament.
- Elena Buenavida (Spain – Bronze): 2.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks; .357/0.00/.600
- Antoine Delaere (Belgium – 5th): 5.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals; .318/.273/.750
- Dorka Juhász (Hungary – 8th): 12.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.1 blocks; .422/.211/.417
- *Eliška Joklová (Czechia – 15th): 14.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks; .545/0.00/.626
*Recently waived in the acquisition of Aari McDonald
The WNBA season will resume action after this two week break. For the Lynx, it’s a potential playoff preview against the New York Liberty on Friday, 9/18 at 6:30pm on Ion. Minnesota already has plenty of players back on the practice court as they prepare to host the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup MVP, Breanna Stewart.
