BERLIN — The United States won its 31st consecutive FIBA Women’s World Cup game on Friday, 94-61 over China at Max-Schmeling-Halle, in the first game the 2026 roster played together after two changes to it on Monday.
Paige Bueckers scored 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes, all of them after halftime, with 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. The Dallas Wings guard was one of nine players on the 12-woman roster making a World Cup debut.
A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum withdrew from the team Monday for health reasons, and USA Basketball added Washington Mystics teammates Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen in their places four days before the opener. Citron had 2 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists in 12 minutes Friday, and her steal in the final 1:47 set up a Bueckers 3-pointer.
USA Basketball named Bueckers to the roster on Aug. 6. She, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Iriafen also played for the United States in March at the qualifying tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the Americans went 5-0.
Paige Bueckers On Team USA’s First Game As A Unit
The Americans had a couple of days of practice together before Friday, and Bueckers wanted game reps.
“It was great. Obviously, the first one we got to shake off our rust,” Bueckers said. “Get back into game shape. Get back into game mode. And it’s our first time playing together as a team, as a unit. So we got a couple of days of practice, but there’s nothing like getting game reps, getting game experience together.”
All 12 Americans scored. Clark had 14 points and 11 assists, Rhyne Howard scored 14, and Jackie Young scored 12. The United States led 27-14 after one quarter and 49-29 at halftime.
The excitement after the game extended to many of Clark’s teammates, and she expects that to keep growing through the tournament.
“It’s so fun to see all of the fans, and their excitement, and how much the women’s game is growing globally,” Clark said. “Even after the game, there’s just so much excitement, and not only for myself, for so many players on this team, and that’s a really cool thing. I think that’ll only continue to grow as we progress through the tournament.”
The last U.S. loss at a World Cup came in the 2006 semifinals against Russia in Brazil. The Americans have won the last four World Cups and 11 overall, and a fifth consecutive title would match the Soviet Union’s five in a row from 1959 to 1975. Wings coach José Fernández is on U.S. coach Kara Lawson‘s staff as a scout coach.
Italy And Czechia Next In Group D
Group D play continues Sunday against Italy at 1:45 p.m. CT on TNT and HBO Max and closes Monday against Czechia at 1:45 p.m. CT on the same outlets. Italy is at its first World Cup since 1994, and Czechia is at its first since 2014. The group winner goes straight to the quarterfinals on Sept. 10. Second and third place go to a qualification round on Sept. 8, and fourth place is eliminated. The final is Sept. 13.
Dallas enters the break at 24-16, fourth in the Western Conference, after clinching its first playoff spot since 2023 on Aug. 25, with four regular-season games left when play resumes Sept. 17 against the Los Angeles Sparks at College Park Center.
