France Has Been Better Than Team USA in Berlin — SkimNews
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- Team USA faces France in Sunday's FIBA Women's World Cup gold medal final (2 p.m. ET in Berlin), seeking its fifth consecutive and 12th overall title — the Americans haven't lost a World Cup game since falling to Russia in the 2006 semifinals
- France has been statistically the best team in Berlin, averaging 96.2 points on 51.6% field shooting and 44.2% from three-point range while winning all five games by an average of 35.6 points
- Team USA survived a semifinal scare against Spain (76-66), shooting just 40% from the field and 17% (3-of-18) from three, relying on a 27-of-35 free throw line advantage and Breanna Stewart's team-high 16 points to outscore Spain 18-8 in the fourth quarter
- Gabby Williams led France with 22 points against Germany and headlines a 13-player WNBA contingent on France's roster — her potential game-winning buzzer-beater in the 2024 Olympic final was waved off because her foot was touching the three-point line, preserving the U.S.'s one-point win
- Stewart acknowledged the pressure of protecting the U.S. streak while noting six teammates have no prior World Cup or Olympic experience, and France's defensive pressure forced 25 German turnovers in the semifinal while committing just six
- A'ja Wilson (back) and Kelsey Plum (leg) are absent from this U.S. roster, while France's Dom Malonga said the program is known for "second place or semifinals, never all the way" — and "we have to make it happen"
Why it matters: France enters with superior tournament-long numbers (96.2 PPG, 44.2% from three, 35.6-point average margin), but the U.S. has been battle-tested with close wins over Italy and Spain. The 2024 Olympic final was decided by Williams' foot on the three-point line; with Wilson and Plum unavailable, the margin for another escape may not exist.
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