Team USA holds off Spain, advances to Women’s World Cup final against France: Takeaways from a tight semifinal

After a competitive semifinal contest in Berlin, Team USA pulled away from Spain in the fourth quarter to secure a 76-66 victory and a trip to the final of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup. Team USA will face France, which knocked off the hosts Germany, in a rematch of the gold medal game from the 2024 Olympics in Paris. 

Tip-off for Sunday’s final is set for 2 p.m. ET. Team USA will play for a fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal, which would tie the Soviet Union’s record of five straight championships from 1959-75. 

Spain jumped out to an early 9-1 lead, but Team USA slowly fought back from the biggest deficit it had faced all tournament and took the lead at the end of the first quarter thanks in large part to the energy and pace provided by the “Young and Turnt” group of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and Aliyah Boston. 

Team USA would never trail again, though it took a substantial amount of work to put away Spain, which did manage to briefly tie the game late in the third quarter. Iyana Martín, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, who did not play in the league this season, was tremendous for Spain. She put up 17 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals to conclude a tremendous tournament, but she notably went scoreless in the fourth quarter as the Americans stepped up their defensive pressure. 

Breanna Stewart, Kahleah Copper and Jackie Young led the way in the fourth quarter for Team USA, combining for 14 of the American’s 18 points in the frame. 

Copper did not have a good shooting night, but her rim pressure was key against a stout Spanish defense, and she finished with 13 points in her highest-scoring game of the tournament. Young, meanwhile, continued her strong showing in Berlin with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Stewart led the way with 16 points, six rebounds and two assists. 

Here are some key takeaways from Team USA’s gritty win:

Team USA dominates at the line

Sometimes, you have to win ugly. That’s just what Team USA did against Spain. 

Their shots, near or far from the basket, weren’t falling, passes were sailing out of bounds and the slow and choppy pace favored Spain. But a major reason the game lacked rhythm was the Americans’ ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. It took less than 90 seconds for Team USA to take its first free throw, and by the final buzzer it would have 34 more. 

That the Americans, who went 27 of 35 (77.1%) weren’t particularly efficient at the line didn’t matter when they got that many attempts. Team USA outscored Spain 27-10 from the free throw line, which was ultimately the difference in the game. 

Of the 10 Americans that played, Chelsea Gray and Aliyah Boston were the only ones who didn’t attempt a free throw. Breanna Stewart’s 11 attempts — she made eight — were as many as Spain had as a team. 

For the tournament, Team USA’s 25.4 free throw attempts per game are by far the most by any team. 

Stewart leads the way

Breanna Stewart made her senior debut at a major tournament in the 2014 World Cup when she was heading into her junior season at UConn. Over the past dozen years, she’s won three World Cup gold medals and three Olympic gold medals, and is still setting the standard on the international stage for the Americans. 

After a somewhat slow start to the tournament, at least from a scoring perspective, Stewart has been Team USA’s best player, and delivered again against Spain. She finished with a team-high 16 points, to go along with six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. At plus-7 over 29 minutes, she had the best plus-minus of any starter. 

‘Young and Turnt’ group shows their worth again

When Caitlin Clark checked into the game with 3:49 remaining in the first quarter, Team USA trailed 16-11. By the end of the first quarter, Team USA led 21-18, and when Clark checked out with 7:53 left in the second quarter, it was 25-18 in favor of the Americans. She wouldn’t play again the rest of the half. Team USA’s lead at the break was 39-36. 

Clark did not have a great game on Saturday. She was 0 of 3 from the field, her lone point came at the free throw line and she had more turnovers (two) than assists (one) — though her potential assists were much higher. And yet, she finished a 10-point win with a plus-minus of plus-16 in 16 minutes. Only Aliyah Boston’s plus-21 was better. 

Single-game plus-minus is an inherently noisy stat, but Clark’s plus-16 wasn’t a fluke. It was yet another data point that Team USA is better with her, and the rest of the “Young and Turnt” group — Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and Boston — on the floor. Throw Rhyne Howard in if you want, as well. The pace is better, the spacing is better and the ball movement is better. 

Here are the on/off numbers against Spain, and for the entire tournament for everyone besides Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. (The Washington Mystics duo did not play against Spain and have largely only played garbage time in Berlin.) 

Team USA coach Kara Lawson is not going to change the starting lineup for Sunday’s final against France, but she should be quick on the subs. The Americans cannot afford another slow start against the French, who are by far the second-best team in the world and have the talent to pull off an upset.