The United States won the women's basketball World Cup for a record-extending 12th time on Sunday, defeating a spirited France 97-79 in the final in Berlin. The victory also marked the Americans' fifth consecutive World Cup title, extending their unbeaten run at Olympics or World Cups to 20 years, as reported by multiple outlets including Al Jazeera, Reuters, and the Associated Press wire report carried by several US newspapers.
France, playing in its first-ever World Cup final, came out energetic and led by as many as 14 points midway through the second quarter. Gabby Williams, the player of the match in France's semifinal win over Germany, scored 16 points in the opening half to spearhead the French attack.
The US rallied behind Breanna Stewart and Jackie Young to cut the deficit to two points at halftime, with Caitlin Clark hitting a three-pointer just before the buzzer. The Americans then took control in the third quarter, outscoring France 30-12, and never looked back. Consecutive three-pointers from Kahleah Copper and Jackie Young gave the US a 58-51 lead early in the second half, and another Clark triple stretched the advantage to 19 points at the start of the fourth quarter.
Key Performances
Breanna Stewart, the US captain and tournament MVP for the second time, led all scorers with 22 points, adding 10 rebounds and four assists. Jackie Young finished with 18 points, including four three-pointers. Clark, who scored just one point in the semifinal, contributed 12 points off the bench.
"We are the standard," Stewart said after the game, per the Associated Press report. "USA Basketball has continued to show up and go for gold and to have done that however many times consecutively is an insane stat. We want to make sure that we continue to build on that standard and everybody else knows it."
Clark reflected on the team's resilience: "We dug ourself a hole, but we climbed out of it, and I felt like we were never rattled by anything."
France's Historic Run
France, seeking revenge for a one-point loss to the US in the 2024 Paris Olympics gold-medal game, settled for silver in its maiden World Cup final — its best-ever finish in the event. Dominique Malonga scored 21 points and Gabby Williams added 20 for France, but the team's composure slipped in the second half as they committed 16 turnovers.
Gabby Williams struck a defiant note after the loss, according to the AP report: "Of course we're disappointed right now, but I think we're showing little by little, France is a basketball country."
US Veterans and Newcomers
The US roster was the second-youngest the Americans have sent to a World Cup, including first-time national team members Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers. But it was the veterans who carried the team, as noted in several reports. US head coach Kara Lawson, who succeeded Cheryl Reeve after the Paris Games, leaned on her veteran starting lineup.
Lawson praised Stewart, calling her "the greatest winner that we've had probably," as reported by The Straits Times.
Tournament Challenges
The Americans had looked more vulnerable in this tournament than in any time during their remarkable run, according to multiple accounts. A three-point win over Italy in pool play was the closest a team has come to the US in the group stage in 50 years, and the 10-point victory over Spain in the semifinals was the closest semifinal contest during the streak. In the final, France managed to get within 55-51 before the US used a 16-3 spurt — which included France being called for two unsportsmanlike fouls on the same play — to take a 73-57 lead into the fourth quarter.
Bronze Medal Match
Earlier on Sunday, Spain secured the bronze medal with an 81-58 win over hosts Germany, as reported by Reuters and other outlets. Iyana Martín scored 22 points for Spain, who took their third third-place finish in the event.