USA 76, ESP 66
The USA (5-0) defeated Spain (3-2) 76-66 in the semifinals of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup at Berlin Arena. The USA are now 6-0 all-time against Spain at the World Cup. The Americans will play for a fifth consecutive and 12th overall World Cup gold medal tomorrow when they face France.
The USA appeared in their 11th World Cup semifinal game, having never missed the stage since its introduction in 1986. The USA are now 9-2 all-time in semifinals games and are owners of 35 World Cup wins in a row.
The gold medal game is set for Sunday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. ET with the U.S. to play France for the first time in a World Cup final. The game will be a rematch of the 2024 Olympic Women's Basketball final. The only other time that a World Cup final featured a rematch was the previous Olympic Games was in 1990 (USA vs. Yugoslavia).
USA-Spain box score | Watch USA postgame press conference
POSTGAME NOTES
Stay the Course: The USA narrowly led 39-36 at halftime as they made more free throws (19) than field goals (9) in the half but limited Spain’s chances from the charity stripe and kept pace at the 3-point line to maintain a lead throughout the second quarter. Spain tied the game with a third-quarter-opening 3-pointer and the back-and-forth third quarter ended in a 58-58 tie. The period featured 4 ties and 2 lead changes in the first-ever Women’s World Cup semifinal to be tied entering the final stanza.
The U.S. asserted control in the fourth quarter, opening on a 12-2 run and holding Spain to just 8 points over 10 minutes. For the game, the USA were 27-of-35 from the free throw line, including 8-of-8 from the stripe in the second half.
The U.S. improved to 8-0 in semifinal games when leading at halftime.
Nose to the Grindstone: USA captain Breanna Stewart continued to be an integral leader for her squad. In today’s contest – her 25th at the World Cup – she contributed a team-high 16 points along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. She finished the game with 266 career points and moved up to 6th on the all-time U.S. scoring list, surpassing Sheryl Swoopes (252) and Cheryl Miller (264).
The Extra Mile: Stewart led 3 Americans in double figures, including Kahleah Copper (13), who had her best offensive showing of the competition, and Jackie Young (12), who leads the team in scoring average at 11.2 ppg. Copper and Young combined for 10 of the USA’s 18 fourth quarter points. Aliyah Boston was also in on the action with 6 points and a game-high-tying 7 rebounds.
Buckle Down: Entering the fourth quarter, Spain had the best output against the American defense of the tournament, shooting 41.5% (22-53 FG) from the field, 28.6% (6-21 3FG) from 3-point and 88.9% (8-9 FT) from the line. In their 8-point fourth quarter, Spain was just 3-of-13 (23.1%) from the floor, missed each of their 5 tries from deep and added 2 points at the stripe.
As they have all week, the red, white and blue own the best shooting defense in the field, allowing just 33.8% (107-317 FG) from the field and 21.2% (25-118) from three-point range.
What's Next
FIBA Women’s World Cup | Gold Medal Game vs. France | Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. ET | More Info | TNT/TRU TV/HBO Max
A game recap will be published on usab.com.
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