Angel Reese and Team USA opened their 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign with a dominant win. The WNBA stars defeated China 94-61 on Friday in a rematch of the 2022 gold medal game.
Every USA player scored in the game, with Caitlin Clark leading the way with a 14-point, 11-assist double-double. Paige Bueckers and Rhyne Howard both chipped in 14 points. Reese led the team in rebounds with nine, along with five points.
In her postgame interview, the Atlanta Dream star praised her teammates for keeping the energy throughout the game.
“Anybody that went in the game,” Reese said. “We wanted to just make sure that we kept the intensity high.”
Reese also talked about the new faces on Team USA, saying that the young stars are learning from the vets.
“A lot of us are young, so we’re just trying to soak it all up,” she shared. “I think we learned a lot from our vets today.”
“All of them, they were really great tonight, so it makes it a lot easier when we go in.”
The WNBA joined in on the celebrations of Team USA’s first win. The league shared a clip of Reese’s interview, along with a reaction to the three-time All-Star’s comments.
“Kept the energy up from start to finish 🗣️,” the WNBA said in the caption.
Team USA will face Italy on Sunday, then the Czech Republic on Monday to round out their Group D matches. The Americans are expected to sweep their group and book an outright quarterfinal spot.
More WNBA Essentials
- Highest WNBA Team Payrolls
- Top 25 Highest-Paid WNBA Players
- Every WNBA Finals Matchup, Results, and MVP Since 1997
- Net Worths: Caitlin Clark | Angel Reese | Sophie Cunningham
