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USA wins FIBA World Cup, dispatching Australia in the final

By Scott Mammoser

The U.S. is now a 10-time World Cup champion. Photo courtesy of FIBA,
The U.S. is now a 10-time World Cup champion. Photo courtesy of FIBA, /
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SAN CRISTOBAL de la LAGUNA, Spain – The institution of excellence that is the U.S. women’s basketball team added another pillar on Sunday night, claiming its 10th FIBA World Cup title and third consecutive, with a 73-56 win over Australia.

In a game that wasn’t the competitive gem many were expecting, the U.S. opened on a 10-0 run, keeping the Opals off the board in the first four minutes. The U.S. post players limited Liz Cambage, averaging 27 points per game in the World Cup, to seven points on 2-of-10 shooting, although she did grab 14 rebounds.

Breanna Stewart was named the Most Valuable Player of the World Cup, the third such award she’s won in the past month, having been named WNBA regular season and Finals MVP.

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“While we were here in the Canary Islands, the only thing we were focused on was how to get better,” Stewart told High Post Hoops. “I’m soaking it all in, after the (WNBA) championship, I got on a plane right after the parade, so I haven’t had time to think back on that. Now, winning this gold, I need some time to gather my thoughts. The biggest thing of it all is team. Coming here, I know I am playing with 11 of the other best players in the world. Not knowing I need to play outside of my game, I do whatever it takes to win gold.”

Stewart, who scored 10 points with eight rebounds in the final, was joined on the All-World Cup team with teammate Diana Taurasi, Cambage, Emma Meesseman of Belgium, and Spain’s Astou Ndour. Brittney Griner was the MVP of the championship game with 15 points and was stellar in defending Cambage.

“I’m super proud of the journey they’ve allowed me to be on,” U.S. coach Dawn Staley said. “What makes us good is to have layers and layers of players to give us looks. Brittney Griner did a great job starting the game where we didn’t have to go to our Game Plan B. A was it. She got us started on the right foot, and we never looked back.”

The senior national team is now 100-1 since the beginning of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the one loss being to Russia in the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup. In addition, the U.S. is 18-0 in the Olympics and World Cup against the Opals, and the five players who played at UConn are now 39-0 in NCAA, Olympic and World Cup finals.

Seriously, when you read the game notes for this program, page after page of mindboggling records, streaks and accolades, you just need to stop and think how something can be so exemplary. Think about it, 100-1 since 1996!

A team that looked questionable in close-game wins over China and Latvia earlier in the tournament, rose to the occasion when it mattered most.

“It’s a tough tournament,” Taurasi said of the World Cup. “It’s always the toughest to win. Winning three games in three nights, you just don’t do that anymore as a pro. This is the only one that challenges you in that way. We always rely on our depth.”

TENERIFE, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 30: Brittney Griner #15 and Diana Taurasi #12 of the USA National Team look on after defeating the Australia team during the Gold Medal Game of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup at Pabellon de Deportes de Tenerife Santiago Martin on September 30, 2018 in San Cristobal de La Laguna, Spain. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE. (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/NBAE via Getty Images)
TENERIFE, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 30: Brittney Griner #15 and Diana Taurasi #12 of the USA National Team look on after defeating the Australia team during the Gold Medal Game of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup at Pabellon de Deportes de Tenerife Santiago Martin on September 30, 2018 in San Cristobal de La Laguna, Spain. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE. (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/NBAE via Getty Images) /

For the Opals, it was a tough loss, especially after a72-66 come-from-behind win over bronze medalist Spain in the semifinals. The team was without Marianna Tolo, the starting forward from the Rio Olympics, who tore her ACL, and shortly before the World Cup, they lost starting point guard Leilani Mitchell, who elected to nurse a lower limb injury.

“We’re probably emotionally spent,” Australia coach Sandy Brondello said, “after the emotional game against Spain. We didn’t shoot the ball well enough. We faced a lot of adversity to get here, but I’m proud. It’s hard to win any medal at a major championship. We had to come out and put a lot of pressure on the USA. They have a lot of great players. The future looks good, but we can’t stay still, we need to develop.”

A major positive Australia can celebrate was its bench outscoring an American team that prides itself on depth, 37-23, in the final.

Five players on the U.S. roster won a major international gold medal for the first time, including Morgan Tuck, who won four national titles at UConn.

“I’m super excited,” Tuck said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play for the national team, and I’m so happy to win a gold medal. It’s different because at UConn, you’re with the same people all year, and you’re with the same people for years, and this time we’re together for about a month, and as a team we’re only together for a couple weeks. The timeline is different. I get to play with Diana and Sue, who are UConn greats.”

Speaking of Bird, her five assists in the final passed her coach, Staley, for the USA Basketball record in career World Cups, although Staley did it in three and Bird did it in five. That’s right, five World Cups and four gold medals for Bird who was already the most-decorated player in the event history going into Sunday. With her ninth medal, she passed Teresa Edwards for the most Olympic-or-World Cup medals in U.S. history. She can start preparing her Hall of Fame speech.

Staley repeatedly said during the tournament how much she respects Bird and Taurasi and how they carry the torch for USA Basketball, teaching the younger players. In addition, Taurasi talked about learning from Staley, Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson when her and Bird were Olympic rookies in Athens. The next step in this unbelievable fairy tale, is if Bird and Taurasi can hang on two more years for the Tokyo Olympics, even though they don’t show signs of slowing down. It would make for one perfect ending.

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