Caitlin Clark and Team USA dominated the recently concluded FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They scored the most points in the tournament with 479. Team USA also had the best defense, only allowing 269 points scored against them.
Additionally, five players averaged 10 or more points for Team USA this tournament. On top of that, multiple Team USA players were included in the top five in points, steals, rebounds and assists for the tournament.
Kahlea Cooper is among the top three in points, Angel Reese for rebounds, Monique Billings for blocks and Paige Bueckers for steals. All this shows how the Americans really dominated this tournament.
Caitlin Clark leads Team USA atop the FIBA Women’s rankings
Team USA went undefeated in the tournament, posting a 5-0 record to win Group A. After their successful run, they solidified their place atop the FIBA World Women’s ranking. A big part of their success is the Clark. This is her first tournament with the senior national team, and she showed up.
On Saturday, FIBA announced the updated rankings following the qualifying tournaments. Unsurprisingly, Team USA maintained its spot at No. 1.
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Clark averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists in five games for Team USA. The 24-year-old sharpshooter was in the top four in scoring, and she led the qualifiers in assists. Because of that, she was named to the All-Star Five of the tournament. She was also named the tournament MVP.
Despite being away from organized basketball for almost eight months, Clark was still effective for USA Basketball. She was efficient this tournament, shooting 40% from three and 52.9% from the field.
Whether Clark was starting or coming off the bench, she provided the much-needed boost for Team USA. She provided the playmaking to keep the ball rolling for the team.
Clark will bring the momentum from her eventful offseason to the Fever as they try to win the WNBA Championship.
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