Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark came off the bench in her FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup debut for Team USA on Friday. However, she still logged a team-high 25 minutes of action as the U.S. routed China, 94-61.
Clark went off in her first game. She finished with a team-high 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting and three triples. She tied Paige Bueckers and Rhyne Howard for the most points on Team USA’s loaded roster.
However, the most impressive aspect of Clark’s performance was her playmaking. Despite coming off the bench behind starting point guard Chelsea Gray, Clark still dished out a game-high 11 assists. It was the most for any USA player in a World Cup debut.
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Clark was named the Player of the Game after her inspired performance. However, it wasn’t enough for FIBA to recognize her as one of the best players in the tournament on Game Day 1.
FIBA took to social media on Friday night to announce the top performers from the first day of action. The global governing body for basketball decided to leave Clark off the list.
Emma Meesseman of Belgium, Sika Kone of Mali and Saki Hayashi of Japan were all recognized. Two players from South Korea, Jihyun Park and Leeseul Kang, were also named as top performers.
There was no room for Clark in the Top 5. This is despite the fact that she delivered a head-turning performance to stand out among Team USA’s star-studded lineup. Clark was the best player on the best team, but this was not enough to earn her a spot on FIBA’s top performers.
Clark’s next chance to make the cut will be on Sunday when the U.S. returns to action for its second game of the tournament. They will face fellow Group D nation Italy, with tipoff scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET.
Clark and Co. will close out their group play with a matchup against the Czech Republic on Monday.
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