After a slim victory over Italy on Sunday, Staff USA bounced again with a dominant 105-64 win over Czechia to conclude group stage play on the 2026 FIBA Ladies’s World Cup with an ideal 3-0 document. The Individuals, who’ve now gained 33 consecutive World Cup video games, shall be off till Thursday, after they’ll face both Hungary or Japan within the quarterfinals. 

“You possibly can see our chemistry slowly constructing,” Caitlin Clark mentioned after the win over Czechia. “We had been excited we had a back-to-back and will get out right here and play once more after final night time after we did not play our greatest… So thought we had been significantly better on the offensive finish. Performed with much more tempo tonight, performed in transition higher. Thought we had been good on protection. Excited to have the bye and prepare for 3 extra video games.”

As Staff USA awaits their opponent and enjoys a couple of days off, let’s check out how all 12 gamers carried out within the group stage and hand out some grades. 

Jackie Younger: A+

With out Younger, Staff USA would have suffered its first defeat on the World Cup because the 2006 semifinals. 

Younger was the one one who confirmed as much as play in opposition to Italy, and completed with 10 factors, 4 rebounds, three assists and two steals in that slim three-point win. What’s extra, she scored six of Staff USA’s 13 factors within the fourth quarter, assisted on the go-ahead bucket with 3:20 to play and got here up with an enormous offensive rebound within the closing minute that helped run one other 15 seconds off the clock. 

All informed, Younger was Staff USA’s most constant participant. She had no less than 10 factors and three assists in all three group stage video games, and is main the group in scoring at 11.3 factors per recreation whereas taking pictures 53.8% from the sector. 

Paige Bueckers: A

Bueckers has made a direct affect in her World Cup debut. She received off to an awesome begin with 14 factors (tied for a team-high) in opposition to China, was one of many few gamers who may maintain their head excessive after the Italy win (seven factors, 5 rebounds, two assists and two steals) and had one other strong displaying in opposition to Czechia. 

One in all three gamers who averaged double figures in scoring within the group stage, Bueckers is tied with Breanna Stewart for second place on Staff USA’s scoring listing at 10.3 factors per recreation. She’s additionally second behind Clark in assists at 3.7 and leads the group in area purpose share (59.1%). 

Breanna Stewart: A-

Stewart caught quite a lot of flak for her 1 of 9 taking pictures efficiency in opposition to Italy, and rightly so, however she was enormous on the glass in that recreation with a team-high 11 rebounds, and it was becoming she secured the ultimate board after Cecilia Zandalasini’s potential game-tying 3 missed. 

Apart from lacking some simple seems to be in opposition to the Italians, Stewart has been superior. Her 19-point, seven-rebound, six-assist effort in opposition to Czechia was one of the best single efficiency by any American within the group stage and she or he’s been the group’s finest rebounder (8.3 per recreation), which is very vital with out A’ja Wilson. 

There are few extra dependable worldwide gamers than Stewart, who can be tied for second on the group in scoring (10.3 factors) and tied for third in assists (three). 

Angel Reese: A-

The “Younger and Turnt’ group has been wonderful for the Individuals in Berlin, and Reese has been a constant a part of their success. She had eight huge factors in opposition to Italy — second to Younger — on an evening when Staff USA actually struggled to place the ball within the basket, and has delivered her normal effort on the offensive glass and made a huge impact defensively along with her versatility. 

Reese is fourth on the group in scoring at 8.7 factors per recreation, which nobody would have predicted coming into the event, and is quietly taking pictures 57.1% from the sector, which is second solely to Bueckers. She’s additionally grabbed a team-high 9 offensive rebounds and her 4 steals are tied for second. 

Caitlin Clark: B+

Clark was Staff USA’s finest participant in opposition to China, when she put up 14 factors and 11 assists for a historic double-double in her World Cup debut. Towards Italy, she was one of many worst, as she didn’t make a area purpose for the primary time in her faculty, WNBA and Staff USA profession. Like most, she bounced again versus Czechia with a strong displaying: 9 factors and a team-high seven assists. 

Clark cannot get full marks given her efficiency in opposition to Italy and her 25% mark from 3-point vary, however she’s main Staff USA in assists (6.3 per recreation) by a large margin and is third amongst all gamers in that class. She’s additionally fifth on the group in scoring and has solely turned the ball over 4 occasions. Plus, the Individuals are +58 in her 66 minutes — by far one of the best mark of any participant. 

Rhyne Howard: C+

Howard hit 4 3-pointers within the opener in opposition to China, and her 14 factors had been tied for a group excessive. Since then, she’s made one 3 and scored 5 factors on 2 of seven taking pictures. Whereas she did no less than dish out 4 assists and swipe three steals within the blowout win over Czechia, her scoring and taking pictures drop-off was stunning. 

Within the WNBA this season, Howard is taking pictures a career-high 36.7% from 3-point vary and leads the league with 128 made 3s. Staff USA was relying on her to be a big-time spot-up menace on this group, and can want extra of what they noticed in opposition to China within the knockout rounds. 

Napheesa Collier: C-

Following the disappointing displaying in opposition to Italy, Collier set the tone in opposition to Czechia by scoring or aiding on Staff USA’s first three made area objectives. She completed with 12 factors, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in by far her finest outing of the group stage. 

Collier, who solely returned from offseason surgical procedure on each ankles in late July, remains to be working her approach again to her pre-injury type and actually struggled in opposition to each China and Italy. For the event, she’s averaging 7.3 factors and 4.3 rebounds on simply 39.1% taking pictures and is 1 of 6 from 3-point vary. 

Notably, and maybe worryingly for the Individuals, they had been simply +11 in Collier’s 50 minutes. That was the worst mark of any starter and the second-worst mark on the group within the group stage. 

Aliyah Boston: C-

There have been many, myself included, who thought Boston, the lone true heart on the group, may begin after Wilson’s departure. As a substitute, Kara Lawson determined to go small with Kahleah Copper because the fifth starter. 

Boston has been one of many first subs off the bench, nevertheless, and is averaging the seventh-most minutes on the group. She hasn’t completed so much with them. Like many of the Individuals, Boston could not purchase a bucket in opposition to Italy, and is averaging simply 5.3 factors and a couple of.3 rebounds for the event. One of many few positives for Boston is that she has knocked down 2 of three 3-point makes an attempt. 

Chelsea Grey: D+

Regardless of a poor displaying on the 2024 Olympics, when she averaged 1.3 factors and 5.2 assists on 16.7% taking pictures, there was little doubt that Grey can be named the start line guard attributable to her intensive worldwide expertise. Sadly, she has as soon as once more struggled to supply. 

Within the group stage, Grey scored 11 factors on 4 of 13 (30.7%) taking pictures, dished out simply three complete assists and in some way didn’t seize a single rebound in 39 minutes. Her 3.7 factors per recreation are the bottom mark on the group, and if she hadn’t provide you with two of the largest performs of the sport down the stretch in opposition to Italy, her grade can be even decrease. 

However to her credit score, Grey did draw a cost on Cecilia Zandalasini with simply over three minutes to play, and hit a clutch jumper with 1:07 left that pushed Staff USA’s result in 5. The Individuals want extra of that from Grey within the knockout stage. 

Kahleah Copper: D

Heading into the event, nobody anticipated Copper to get the fifth and closing beginning spot, however in hindsight it in all probability ought to have been apparent given Staff USA’s desire for expertise. She’ll seemingly stay within the beginning lineup for the quarterfinals, however you may not fault Lawson if she seems to be elsewhere. 

Copper barely had extra factors than area purpose makes an attempt within the group stage, and her +13 in 56 minutes was the second-worst of any starter. In three video games, she scored 16 factors on 3 of 14 from the sector total, together with 2 of 8 from 3-point vary. She additionally managed only one help and no steals. 

A disappointing displaying thus removed from somebody along with her worldwide expertise. 

Sonia Citron: Incomplete

Citron was a late addition to Staff USA as a alternative for Kelsey Plum, and it is no shock that she performed the fewest minutes within the group stage. She had a pleasant displaying in opposition to Czechia with 10 factors, seven rebounds and two assists, however that was largely in rubbish time. 

It is unlikely we’ll see a ton of her within the knockout rounds. 

Kiki Iriafen: Incomplete

Like Citron, her Washington Mystics teammate, Iriafen was a late alternative for A’ja Wilson, and we’re additionally going to present her an incomplete. Iriafen didn’t get off the bench in opposition to Italy, which was the one time in any of the three video games that somebody obtained a DNP. 

Even in opposition to Czechia, she did not get off the bench till the center of the third quarter. She did make use of her minutes on Monday, nevertheless, placing up seven factors and 11 rebounds.