Breanna Stewart contributed 16 points and Kahleah Copper chipped in 13 to lead the United States past Spain 76-66 on Saturday, securing a spot in the women’s FIBA World Cup championship game. The Americans will square off against France in a rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal match, which the U.S. won by a single point. The victory extends the U.S. World Cup win streak to 35 games, dating back to a semifinal defeat against Russia in 2006. The team is now one win away from capturing a fifth consecutive tournament title, which would tie the former Soviet Union for the record of most consecutive championships. After breezing through their previous two contests, the U.S. faced a tough challenge against Spain and struggled to establish an offensive rhythm. The score was tied at 58 heading into the fourth quarter before the Americans went on a 12-2 run to build a 70-60 advantage, their largest lead of the night, with 5:20 remaining. Spain failed to get closer than eight points for the remainder of the contest. The U.S. capitalized heavily at the free-throw line, converting 27 of 35 attempts. This marked the first World Cup meeting between the two nations since the U.S. defeated Spain for the 2014 tournament gold medal, which also marked Stewart’s debut with the national team. Spain started aggressively by scoring nine of the game’s first 10 points, handing the Americans their largest deficit of the tournament—surpassing the three-point deficit they faced against Italy in a 55-52 win. Spain led 16-9 before U.S. reserves entered and sparked a 12-2 run to close out the opening period. However, the U.S. struggled to build on that margin during the second quarter due to Spain’s physical defense, which sent players to the line repeatedly. The U.S. attempted 27 free throws in the first half alone—making 19—compared to 26 total field-goal attempts, taking a 39-36 lead into halftime. Spain, which will face host Germany in Sunday’s bronze medal game, remained competitive throughout.
Source: cbsnews.com
