Clark, Reese lead Team USA into World Cup quarterfinals — SkimNews
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- Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are playing together for Team USA in Berlin at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, helping the Americans go 3-0 in group play and clinch a Thursday quarterfinal against Hungary.
- Clark is averaging 6.3 assists per game — third-best in the tournament — while Reese leads Team USA with nine offensive rebounds and ranks second on the team in both steals (four) and blocks (three).
- Clark called Reese a "fiery competitor" with "one of the best motors in the league," praising her work ethic after the pair connected for highlight-reel plays against Czechia.
- Clark and Reese are two of seven Team USA players making their World Cup debuts, part of a youthful core alongside Paige Bueckers that the source dubs the "Young and Turnt" group.
- Team USA has now won 69 consecutive games at major international tournaments, a streak that nearly fell in group play before a three-point escape win over Italy.
- A semifinal matchup would pit the winner against the Australia–Spain victor, with a potential final rematch against France — whom Team USA beat by one point for 2024 Olympic gold, a game Clark notably missed.
- Clark said she is already eyeing the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, calling a World Cup gold medal "a step in the direction" toward her Olympic debut on home soil.
Why it matters: Clark and Reese's on-court chemistry — once unthinkable given their college rivalry — is carrying a retooled Team USA that has seven World Cup debutants and must protect a 69-game major-tournament winning streak; Clark's stated pivot to 2028 also signals Team USA is grooming its new core for the next Olympic cycle, not just this tournament.
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