Berlin (AFP) – The United States breezed into the semi-finals of the Women’s Basketball World Cup with a 108-56 win against Hungary on Thursday and will face Spain for a place in the final. Napheesa Collier top-scored with 19 points while Caitlin Clark delivered nine assists and added 10 points in a dominant quarter-final performance in Berlin from the nation seeking a fifth consecutive title.
The Americans and their roster packed with WNBA stars will face Spain in the semi-finals on Saturday, and they remain on course to play the team they beat in the 2024 Olympic final, France, in the gold medal game. Having survived a scare from Italy, who pushed them all the way in their second pool game before the Americans won 55-52, the USA have gone from strength to strength in the tournament in Germany.
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On Thursday, they raced into a 36-12 lead in the first quarter, effectively ending the game as a contest. Spain defeated Australia 89-66 to earn the chance to meet the Americans. France were convincing 90-61 winners against China to secure their semi-final berth against host nation Germany.
WNBA star Xu Han led all scorers with 21 points, but her contribution was not enough for the Chinese to contend with the all-round performance of the French. Janelle Salaun and Marine Johannes both scored 15 points for France, and US-born Gabby Williams added 14 points.
Zhang Ziyu, China’s towering 2.23 metre (7ft 4in) teenage centre, played 18 minutes and scored seven points, but at the age of 19, she has shown in this tournament that she has a bright future. Roared on by the home crowd, the Germans defeated Belgium 93-74 despite a 29-point performance from Belgian power forward Emma Meesseman.
© 2024 AFP
