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Team USA played their final game in Puerto Rico Tuesday, and soundly defeated Spain 84-70. The team was largely considered the most formidable threat to USA’s winning streak.
Though a lot of the hype surrounding Team USA has been about their young core — the team boasts severeal newcomers to senior level play — the veterans were the ones who pushed the Americans over the finish line against the Spanish.
Kahleah Copper led the group with 20 points on 7-from-12 shooting from the field and 4-7 from three. Kelsey Plum, who played for the Los Angeles Sparks during the 2025 WNBA season, added on another 18 points on 3-4 three-point shooting.
Nate Tibbets, who took over as head coach after Kara Lawson departed to lead Duke in the March Madness tournament this week, told reporters that Team USA knew the game would be tough. “We knew we were going to get Spain’s best shot, right, they’re a very good team,” he said. ““I thought we really stepped it up in the second half, and then, overall very, very pleased with the tournament.”
Team USA’s veterans were a big part of the win
Though the rookies and younger players have put in powerhouse performances in this week, in the end the veterans did exactly what they’re meant to: they showed their teammates how to get the win.
The game was momentarily tied at the beginning of the second quarter, but Plum hit back to back baskets that helped run the score up to 30-23, and the Americans never lost the lead the rest of the match.
The team’s young core will be exciting to watch
The youngest players on Team USA include Caitlin Clark, Kiki Iriafen, Rae Burrell, Angel Reese, Monique Billings, and Paige Bueckers. It’s not immediately clear if fans can count on all of them to make it to the FIBA World Cup in Berlin in September, and managing director Sue Bird has already made it clear that other WNBA veterans will play in the event and in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.
Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron were initially set to play alongside the rest of the squad, but both had to pull out due to lower extremity injuries they suffered during the second season of Unrivaled. The pair were replaced by Billings, who has previous Team USA experience, and Burrell.
Though Team USA was already qualified for September’s tournament, their performance in Puerto Rico established that the squad’s dominance isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
