US women fight off spirited France to win 12th basketball World Cup

BERLIN - The United States won the women’s basketball World Cup for a record-extending 12th time, defeating a spirited France 97-79 thanks to an excellent second half in the final in Berlin on Sept 13.

The US were perennial red-hot favourites at this tournament and had not lost a World Cup match since 2006, but they were below their best for much of the competition.

They trailed by two points at half-time to an energetic France but turned it on when it mattered, outscoring the Europeans 30-12 in the third quarter.

American veteran Breanna Stewart once again led from the front, scoring a game-high 22 points along with 10 rebounds and four assists as she became the first player to be named World Cup Most Valuable Player a second time.

“I’m really happy the way we let the rest of the world know our goal is always gold,” she told reporters, while describing the country’s World Cup record as “an insane stat”.

Coach Kara Lawson called Stewart “the greatest winner that we’ve had probably”.

Jackie Young hit four crucial threes and finished with 18 points to extend the US record to 36 wins in a row at the tournament.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark scored just one point in the semi-final but chipped in with some crucial buckets down the stretch, scoring 12 points including two threes as the Americans silenced the pro-France crowd.

“We kind of got in a little bit of a hole there,” Clark told reporters of the second quarter.

“And then we came back in and kind of dug ourselves out of it.

“That run we went on into half-time and then came out in the second half and really just dominated from there.”

Playing in their first World Cup final, France were seeking revenge for their one-point loss in the gold-medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics but lost their composure as the Americans turned on the afterburners in the second half, committing 16 turnovers.

France’s Gabby Williams, the player of the match in their semi-final win over Germany, scored an impressive 16 points in the opening half but added just four more after that.

Americans vulnerable

The US, huge favourites who are used to dominating World Cups and the Olympics, came into the Sept 13 game looking vulnerable, having come close to defeats by unheralded Italy and again by Spain in the semi-finals.

No team had come within 20 points of France as they cruised to a maiden World Cup final and started strongly, ending the opening quarter with a three-point lead and running out to a 14-point gap midway through the second.

Forced to up the ante, the US fought back with Young hitting two quick-fire threes and Clark grabbing one of her own seconds before half-time, cutting France’s lead to two points.

The US were far more composed after that, with Clark finding her range from the field.

The favourites took the steam out of the match in the fourth as they kept the French at bay.

Earlier on Sept 13, Spain soothed the disappointment of their narrow semi-final loss to the US by claiming bronze with an 81-58 win over Germany.

The Spanish went close to a major boilover on Sept 12, pushing the heavily favoured Americans all the way in their semi-final, levelling the scores at 58-58 three-quarters of the way through the match, before the US pulled away.

On Sept 13, Spain were in control throughout against the spirited but limited hosts, who had never reached the final four of the tournament as a unified country.

Top-scorer Iyana Martin was one assist away from a double-double, with 20 points while grabbing a game-best nine dimes. AFP