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United States Advances to Fiba Women’s Basketball World Cup Final
The United States are back in familiar territory. Another Fiba Women’s Basketball World Cup final. Another step closer to a dynasty that already feels carved in stone.
But in Berlin on Saturday, Spain made them sweat for it.
For three quarters, the four-time defending champions were dragged into a street fight, their offense jammed, their rhythm disrupted, their outside shooting abandoned them almost completely. Only in the final 10 minutes did the US finally rip the game away, closing out a 76-66 win and booking a fifth consecutive World Cup final.
Spain swing first
Spain didn’t just hang around. They punched first.
Midway through the opening quarter, the scoreboard read 13-4 to Spain, the Americans stalled and second-guessing. María Conde and Iyana Martín played without fear, attacking early, contesting everything, refusing to be overawed by the weight of the jerseys in front of them.
The US steadied and trimmed the deficit, but Spain never really went away. At halftime, the Americans led just 39-36, still searching for their usual flow, still being forced into tough looks. Spain’s defensive plan was working: pack the paint, contest the glass, live with jump shots.
It showed in the numbers. The US finished at 40% from the field and an icy 3-of-18 from three-point range. For a team stacked with shooters, it was a jarring sight.
A third-quarter duel
The third quarter turned into a test of nerve.
Conde and Martín came out firing, each drilling three-pointers that wiped out the US lead and sent a jolt through the arena. Every time the Americans threatened to edge clear, Spain’s backcourt answered, either with timely shooting or calm at the foul line.
With 53 seconds left in the third, Martín stepped up again, sinking two free throws to knot the game at 58-58. The US bench stayed standing, restless. The sense was clear: this was no procession. This was a semi-final on edge.
Breanna Stewart, as so often, became the anchor in the storm. She finished with 16 points, scoring in the spaces Spain couldn’t close and imposing herself on both ends when the game started to tighten. Kahleah Copper’s 13 points came wrapped in aggression, drives to the rim that forced Spain to foul or fold. Jackie Young quietly added 12, but her impact would grow when it mattered most.
The champions’ response
The fourth quarter belonged to the United States.
Copper and Young struck first, scoring on back-to-back possessions to nudge the US ahead and finally tilt the momentum. Stewart then went to work, finding pockets in the mid-range, cutting hard, drawing defenders and opening lanes for teammates.
The pressure finally told. The US stretched the lead to eight with just over six minutes remaining, and Spain’s legs began to look heavier. The defensive rotations that had been so sharp for three quarters started arriving a fraction late.
Then came the play that broke it open. With 1:42 left, Young jumped a passing lane, picked it clean and glided in for a layup to make it 76-64. It wasn’t the last basket of the night, but it felt like the one that closed the door.
Spain still walked off with their heads high. Conde and Martín finished with 17 points each, carrying the offensive load and keeping their team in a contest many expected to tilt earlier. They also held the US to that modest 40% shooting clip, a testament to their discipline and toughness.
A quiet night for Clark, a loud statement from the US
Not everything clicked for the Americans. Caitlin Clark, under the spotlight in her first World Cup semi-final, endured a subdued evening: one point, no made three-pointers and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. On another night, that might have been a headline.
Instead, it became a footnote to something more familiar: this team’s depth, their defensive steel, and their refusal to panic when the shots don’t fall.
The victory stretched the US World Cup winning streak to 35 games. They have not lost at this tournament since a semi-final defeat to Russia in 2006. Generations have changed. The standard has not.
Next comes France in Sunday’s final, after the French swept past hosts Germany 86-64. One game for a fifth straight title. One more chance for this era of American dominance to underline its place in basketball history.
