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Team USA is missing their fail safe.
In major international competitions in recent years, the Americans have had a solve for when things get “clunky,” as Caitlin Clark described Team USA’s World Cup qualifier against Puerto Rico on Thursday evening in San Juan. The solution is Stew’ja.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the combined individual excellence of A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart could overcome sticky situations. And the same will be true at the 2026 World Cup in Berlin in September.
For now, however, as USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird and head coach Kara Lawson use this current qualifying tournament to evaluate the players who could surround A’ja and Stewie in Berlin, the Americans might not win as seamlessly as their presumed talent advantage suggests they should. In addition to the lack of chemistry on a team featuring a number of players making their official senior national team debuts, the qualifiers serve as opportunities for experimentation, with process prioritized over results.
On Thursday, Team USA still got the expected result over Puerto Rico, beating the hosts 91-48. But, the process wasn’t always pretty, as the Puerto Ricans succeeded in mucking up the US offense with zone defense.
Lawson still was encouraged with what she saw from her team, saying after the game:
I thought Puerto Rico played very, very hard. I thought we had some good spots, but also I thought we had some rough spots, and that’s good. It’s good to have rough spots sometimes, you’re able to figure some things out, and we’re still figuring things out.
Lawson went with a different starting group, with Chelsea Gray the only holdover from the starting five against Senegal. Against Puerto Rico, Gray was joined by Paige Bueckers, Kelsey Plum, Kiki Iriafen and Monique Billings. Lawson again subbed in an entire new five during the first quarter, with Caitlin Clark, Kahleah Copper, Rhyne Howard, Angel Reese and Dearica Hamby composing the Americans’ second wave.
Bueckers ended up leading the Americans in scoring with an efficient 16 points, plus four boards and three assists.
Iriafen again showed off her post scoring prowess, going 5-for-5 for 10 points while also grabbing five boards. Reese finished with a double-double of 10 points and 13 boards, with Kelsey Plum also scratching double figures with 12 points.
Plum, in particular, reminded of her value in such settings. She assumed the off-ball role she more freuquently occupied as a member of the Las Vegas Aces, moving off the ball and firing off 3s or attacking closeouts. Her constant movement and quick decision-making on the offensive end can compensate for some of the size concerns she brings as Team USA’s smallest player.
Off on Friday, Team USA returns to action on Saturday against Italy. In all likelihood, Lawson will deploy a different starting group as the experimentation continues. As she emphasized after Thursday’s win:
This tournament is our only chance before the World Cup to have games. We can have training, but not actual games—actual FIBA games in an environment … and it’s not just the reps and the games. It’s also having the opportunity to be around our veteran players and be around our staff. There’s on-court chemistry, and there’s also off-court chemistry.
Stats and scores from around other WWC qualifiers
In Wuhan, the Belgian Cats showed why they will be an unwelcome opponent in September’s World Cup.
Their 80-65 win over China was not spurred by their usual suspects, namely Emma Meesseman or Julie Allemand, but Antonia Delaere and her 7-for-10 performance from 3. Delaere’s 27 points led Belgium, which shot almost 43 percent on 35 3-point attempts overall. Such shooting nullified any size advantage the Chinese might have had.
At the qualifying tournament in Istanbul, Australia earned another win, shutting down Japan in the final frame to prevail 81-71. Sami Whitcomb’s four triples and 17 points led the Opals, while Ezi Magbegor added 14 points and Alanna Smith contributed 12 points and nine boards.
Canada also rebounded from their tough loss to Türkiye, locking in a more than 20-point win, 75-53, over Hungary. The Canadians effectively held Dorka Juhász in check, as she she scored 13 points on 13 shot attempts. Shaina Pellington led Canada in scoring with 16 points, while Bridget Carleton finished with 12 points. Türkiye, meanwhile, was upset by Argentina, 59-55.
In Lyon, Germany rolled over the Philippines, 113-80, with Freida Bühner again turning in an efficient scoring performance of 19 points. France likewise cruised to another win, running away 88-48 from Colombia. Leïla Lacan’s 16 points tied for the team lead for the French, with Gabby Williams chipping in 11 points.
All the qualifying tournament will take a Friday hiatus, with games resuming across the four sites on Saturday.
