Team USA star Angel Reese has made it clear that they need to play at their best in the knockout stage of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
Reese sent a strong message after USA’s 105-64 beatdown of the Czech Republic in their final group-stage game of the tournament on Monday.
In her postgame media availability, the Atlanta Dream All-Star was asked what improvements they need to make to be at their best at the knockout stage. The three-time WNBA All-Star responded defiantly.
“There’s no more time to work on anything,” she said. “I think we have to be good, or we go home.”
The 6-foot-4 forward also reiterated that Team USA’s only goal is to win the gold medal, and she believes that they are peaking at the right time together.
“That’s the standard; we want to win,” Reese added. “So everybody playing together, playing their best right now, is really important.”
The seventh overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft played well against the Czech Republic, finishing the game with 13 points and six boards.
The 24-year-old is currently averaging 8.7 points and 6.0 rebounds in the quadrennial tournament.
Reese and Team USA are set to collide with Hungary on Thursday at 5:30 a.m. E.T.
Hungary won two of their three group-stage games, defeating Nigeria (71-67) and South Korea (82-73), after losing to France (99-53) in their opening game.
The Hungarians defeated Japan, 84-63, in the qualification game for the quarterfinals to set up the knockout game against Team USA.
