USA Dominates China in FIBA Women's World Cup Opener
The United States arrived at the FIBA Women's World Cup as they always do: carrying history on their backs and a target on their chests. Eleven world titles, gold in every edition since 1998 save for a solitary bronze in 2006. This is their tournament, their stage, their standard.
On opening night, they played like it.
Spain rolled. France rolled. The U.S. did more than that, dismantling China 94-61 and reminding the rest of the field why anything short of another championship would be a shock.
And in the middle of that statement win, a new American backcourt axis took center stage.
Clark and Bueckers Light It Up
Caitlin Clark came off the bench and immediately seized control of the game. She logged a team-high 25 minutes, dictated tempo, and carved up China’s defense with the kind of vision that warps a scouting report. Eleven assists — the most by an American player at this tournament in 28 years — and a game-best 14 points, a mark she shared with backcourt partner Paige Bueckers.
Those numbers tell one story. The way they got them tells another.
Clark’s shooting threat bent China’s defense out of shape. Possession after possession, defenders shaded toward her, hedged higher, took that extra half-step in her direction. She rarely forced the issue. Instead, she punished it. A skip pass here, a pocket pass there, a no-dribble hit-ahead before China could even turn. Every double-team she drew opened a window, and she kept finding the right one.
That’s exactly what Bueckers pointed to when asked about their growing chemistry on the world stage.
"We know how to play well off of each other. She draws so much defensive attention, so a lot of the defense is worried about her and she has great vision as well," the Dallas Wings guard said afterward.
The box score agreed. Eleven assists, zero wasted possessions, and a U.S. offense that looked a step ahead all night.
Viral Moment, Serious Statement
The game also produced one of the early viral images of the tournament: Bueckers standing next to China’s 7-foot-3 center Zhang Ziyu, staring up in disbelief. It was a snapshot of the sheer physical scale on display at this level, and a reminder of what guards like Bueckers and Clark have to navigate when they drive into the paint.
But any sense of intimidation ended with the photo.
On the floor, the U.S. guards controlled everything. Clark’s ball security and lethal perimeter shooting — the same combination that has her leading the assist charts in the WNBA — translated seamlessly to the international game. She pulled defenders out to the logo, then sliced them apart when they tried to trap. Bueckers thrived in the gaps that created, cutting, relocating, and knocking down shots as China scrambled to keep up.
The result was ruthless. A 33-point win, the kind that not only secures two points in the group but sends a message to everyone else in the bracket.
Group D Road Ahead
The schedule offers no time to linger on highlights.
Next up is Italy on Sunday, a team that opened its campaign with a win over Czechia and will not arrive intimidated by the stars and stripes on the other side. Italy will test the U.S. with discipline and structure, trying to slow the pace and limit transition chances that Clark and Bueckers feasted on against China.
Then, on Monday, comes Czechia to close out Group D. Two games in two days, two more chances for this American backcourt to sharpen its understanding and timing before the knockout rounds.
The U.S. have dominated this competition for a generation. With Clark orchestrating, Bueckers thriving alongside her, and the machine already humming, the question isn’t whether they look like favorites again.
It’s who, if anyone, can stop them.
