U.S. Women’s Basketball Team Advances to FIBA World Cup Final

Breanna Stewart scored 16 points and Kahleah Copper added 13 as the U.S. defeated Spain 76-66 in the women’s FIBA World Cup semifinal on Saturday. This victory propels the Americans to the championship game.

The finale will feature a rematch against France, recalling the close contest of the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal game, which the U.S. won by one point. The U.S. team has a remarkable winning streak of 35 games in the World Cup, dating back to a semifinal loss against Russia in 2006. Winning the upcoming game would grant them a fifth consecutive championship title, equaling the record set by the former Soviet Union.

The U.S. team faced challenges against Spain, struggling to find offensive rhythm. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game was tied at 58. The U.S. then made a decisive move, scoring 12 of the next 14 points, leading 70-60 with 5:20 remaining. Spain couldn’t narrow the gap to less than eight points after that.

Throughout the match, the U.S. frequently visited the foul line, converting 27 of 35 free throws. This was their first World Cup encounter with Spain since defeating them for gold in 2014, which marked Stewart’s debut with the national team.

The game saw Spain starting strong, scoring nine of the initial ten points, giving the U.S. their biggest deficit of the tournament. They had trailed Italy by just three points in a previous game. Eventually, the U.S. recovered, closing the first quarter with a 12-2 run.

Despite leading 39-36 at halftime, the Americans struggled offensively in the second quarter due to Spain’s intense defense, drawing numerous fouls. They attempted 27 free throws in the first half, making 19, and had 26 field-goal attempts.

Spain will face host Germany in the bronze medal game on Sunday.