Crew USA coach Kara Lawson appears poised to keep up the identical beginning lineup for Thursday’s FIBA Girls’s Basketball World Cup quarterfinal in opposition to Hungary, which would go away Caitlin Clark coming off the bench for the fourth straight sport in Berlin.

Lawson was requested immediately about shifting Clark into the lineup for the elimination sport at a press convention Wednesday.

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Chelsea Grey has been the place to begin guard in all three group video games. Throughout this section, she averaged 3.7 factors and 1.0 help per sport in 16.5 minutes, with a area objective share of 30.8%.

“I feel that our beginning group’s completed a reasonably good job of getting us off to good begins, and rotationally from sport to sport we might change issues, however I like the place we’re proper now,” Lawson stated.

Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers drew the identical reply when Lawson was requested whether or not both would transfer into the beginning group.

“I like the place we’re proper now,” Lawson repeated.

Caitlin Clark Stays in Bench Function

Clark averaged 8.0 factors and a team-high 6.3 assists in 21.9 minutes a sport via the group stage. She shot 30.4% from the sector over the three video games.

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In her international championship debut Sept. 4 in opposition to China, Clark scored 14 factors with 3 rebounds and 11 assists in 25 minutes. She didn’t flip the ball over.

Clark shot 4-of-9 from the sector and 3-of-7 from 3-point vary. Her 11 assists had been essentially the most for an American lady in a World Cup sport since Daybreak Staley had 12 in 1998, in accordance with FIBA.

Lawson stated afterward that Clark was “terrific coming off the bench, altering the tempo of the sport.”

On Sunday in opposition to Italy, Clark did not make any of her 6 area objective makes an attempt and completed with 1 level, 4 rebounds, 1 help, and a pair of turnovers.

On Monday in opposition to Czechia, she scored 9 factors, grabbed 1 rebound, and dished out 7 assists in 22 minutes. Clark shot 3-of-8 from the sector, 1-of-6 from 3-point vary, and 2-of-2 on the free throw line.

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Within the three group video games, Clark has made 4-of-16 from 3-point vary. In the course of the 2026 common season, she shot 37.3% from past the arc for the Indiana Fever.

In opposition to Italy, the starters posted a mixed minus-15, whereas the bench contributed a mixed plus-30.

Lawson Sticking With Veteran Beginning Group

Lawson has began Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Breanna Stewart, Jackie Younger, and Grey in each sport of the event. All 5 received gold on the 2024 Paris Olympics, and people 5 are the returning senior nationwide workforce gamers on the 12-player roster.

The 55-52 win over Italy was the smallest margin of victory for america at a World Cup since 1979. The 55 factors had been additionally the Individuals’ lowest World Cup whole since 1971.

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It was the primary World Cup sport america had performed that was determined by single digits since 2010.

The opposite two group video games went the opposite approach.

The Individuals beat China 94-61 within the opener and Czechia 105-64 on Monday to win Group D and enter the knockout stage because the No. 1 seed. Stewart scored 19 factors in opposition to Czechia, with 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

Crew USA Attracts Hungary in Quarterfinals

Tuesday’s 84-63 win over Japan put Hungary within the quarterfinals.

France beat the Hungarians of their event opener. Wins over Nigeria, South Korea, and Japan adopted. Hungary had not performed in a World Cup since 1998. The final journey to the ultimate eight got here 40 years in the past.

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Réka Lelik scored a game-high 23 factors with 8 rebounds and 4 assists in opposition to Japan.

FIBA’s event preview referred to Dorka Juhász and Virág Takács-Kiss as Hungary’s twin towers. Juhász and Collier are teammates with the Minnesota Lynx, who added Aari McDonald earlier than the playoffs.

Juhász is averaging 15.3 factors and 11.0 rebounds in Berlin.

The USA has by no means misplaced a quarterfinal in FIBA Girls’s World Cup play.

The WNBA paused its common season for the event, and the playoff area is already set on the opposite facet of the break.

Tip-off in Berlin is ready for five:30 a.m. ET Thursday. The sport airs on TNT and streams on HBO Max and Courtside 1891.

The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday.