EIGHTEENTH WORLD CUP -- 2018
San Cristobal de la Laguna, Tenerife, Spain • September 22-30, 2018
The 2018 USA World Cup Team compiled a perfect 6-0 record en route to the FIBA World Cup gold medal and a qualifying berth into the 2020 Olympics. The gold medal was earned in record style, and marked the USA’s 10th gold in the 18 editions of the event and the first time the USA had ever earned three World Cup golds in a row.
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2018 WORLD CUP FINAL STANDINGS
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Sue Bird logged her fifth and likely final World Cup appearance, and as the winningest FIBA World Cup player ever, became the first athlete to win four World Cup gold medals.
Bird also capped her World Cup career as the all-time USA World Cup assists leader, surpassing Staley in the gold medal game to finish with 107 assists since the 2002 World Cup.
Opening against Senegal on Sept. 22, 19 points from Elena Delle Donne, and Nneka Ogwumike, who went 6-of-6 from the field to tie a 20-year-old USA World Cup record en route to 16 points, led the USA to a 87-67 victory.
Breanna Stewart scored 17 of her game-high 23 points in the third quarter to help the USA to a 100-88 victory over China.
Tina Charles scored 18 points and Diana Taurasi added 16 as the USA defeated Latvia 102-76. The 6-foot-9 center Brittney Griner, who sat out the first two games with an ankle injury, made her 2018 World Cup debut by scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field in just 13:25.
The U.S. advanced to the Sept. 28 quarterfinals against Nigeria, which became the first African team to ever make it into the quarterfinals in the World Cup’s 65-year history. However, the team would go no further as the USA outscored Nigeria
44-17 in the second half to earn a 71-40 victory. Stewart scored 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting to help lead the Americans.
A quick start in the second half of the Sept. 28 semifinal, fueled by three consecutive 3-pointers from Taurasi, and a perfect, record-setting night at the foul line (19-19 FTs) by the U.S., gave the USA the edge it needed to defeat Belgium 93-77.
Taurasi led with 26 points, while Stewart tallied 20. Additionally, when Griner started the scoring off with a layup soon after the tip, she did more than give the USA a 2-0 lead; it put the USA over 10,000 all-time World Cup points.
Meeting rival Australia in the Sept. 29 gold medal game, Stewart and Taurasi ignited a 10-0 opening run and rolled on for the eventual 73-56 victory. Griner and the USA’s defense keyed the win by holding Australia’s Liz Cambage, who averaged
27.2 ppg. in her first five contests, to just seven points.
Bird entered the gold medal game one assist shy of tying Staley’s all-time USA World Cup record. She assisted Stewart’s opening 3, and 20 seconds later, passed to Taurasi for the record.
Stewart, who finished the game with 10 points and five rebounds, averaged 16.3 ppg. and 6.3 rpg. overall and was named tournament MVP. Taurasi joined her on the all-tournament team, along with Cambage, Belgium’s Emma Meesseman and Spain’s Astou Ndour.
Spain topped Belgium 67-60 for the bronze medal.
2018 USA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TEAM ROSTER
NAME | POS | HGT | WGT | AGE | AFFILIATION/SCHOOL | HOMETOWN |
Sue Bird | G | 5-9 | 150 | 37 | Seattle Storm/Connecticut | Syosset, NY |
Tina Charles | C | 6-4 | 192 | 29 | New York Liberty/Connecticut | Jamaica, NY |
Layshia Clarendon | G | 5-9 | 140 | 27 | Connecticut Sun/California | San Bernardino, CA |
Elena Delle Donne | F/G | 6-5 | 188 | 29 | Washington Mystics/Delaware | Wilmington, DE |
Brittney Griner | C | 6-9 | 205 | 27 | Phoenix Mercury/Baylor | Houston, TX |
Jewell Loyd | G | 5-11 | 150 | 24 | Seattle Storm/Notre Dame | Lincolnwood, IL |
Nneka Ogwumike | F | 6-2 | 188 | 28 | Los Angeles Sparks/Stanford | Cypress, TX |
Kelsey Plum | G | 5-8 | 145 | 24 | Las Vegas Aces/Washington | Poway, CA |
Breanna Stewart | F | 6-4 | 170 | 24 | Seattle Storm/Connecticut | North Syracuse, NY |
Diana Taurasi | G | 6-0 | 164 | 36 | Phoenix Mercury/Connecticut | Chino, CA |
Morgan Tuck | F | 6-2 | 200 | 24 | Connecticut Sun/Connecticut | Bolingbrook, IL |
A’ja Wilson | F | 6-5 | 197 | 22 | Las Vegas Aces/South Carolina | Hopkins, SC |
HEAD COACH: Dawn Staley, Univ. of South Carolina | ||||||
ASSISTANT COACH: Dan Hughes, Seattle Storm | ||||||
ASSISTANT COACH: Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx | ||||||
ASSISTANT COACH: Jennifer Rizzotti, George Washington University | ||||||
TEAM PHYSICIAN: Dave Weinstein, Colorado Springs, Colorado | ||||||
ATHLETIC TRAINER: Ed Ryan, USA Basketball & Andrews Institute |
2018 USA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS
NAME | G/S |
MIN |
FGM-A |
PCT |
3PM-A | PCT | FTM-A | PCT | REB | PTS | AT | TO | BK | ST |
Stewart | 6/6 | 161/26.8 | 40- 69 | .580 | 8- 17 | .471 | 10- 14 | .714 | 38/6.3 | 98/16.3 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Griner | 4/3 | 84/21.0 | 19- 38 | .500 | 0- 0 | .--- | 13- 16 | .813 | 20/5.0 | 51/12.8 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
Taurasi | 6/6 | 131/21.8 | 20- 48 | .417 | 11- 27 | .407 | 22- 24 | .917 | 17/2.8 | 73/12.2 | 22 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
Charles | 6/6 | 120/20.0 | 27- 54 | .500 | 0- 1 | .000 | 8- 8 | 1.000 | 44/7.3 | 62/10.3 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
Wilson | 6/0 | 88/14.7 | 21- 40 | .525 | 0- 0 | .--- | 18- 26 | .692 | 24/4.0 | 60/10.0 | 6 | 13 | 6 | 9 |
Delle Donne | 5/0 | 71/14.2 | 17- 28 | .607 | 3- 7 | .429 | 2- 3 | .667 | 18/3.6 | 39/7.8 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Ogwumike | 6/3 | 95/15.8 | 18- 37 | .486 | 0- 2 | .000 | 9- 11 | .818 | 19/3.2 | 45/7.5 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
Loyd | 6/0 | 130/21.7 | 11- 32 | .344 | 5- 13 | .385 | 7- 8 | .875 | 24/4.0 | 34/5.7 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
Bird | 5/5 | 100/20.0 | 7- 17 | .412 | 6- 15 | .400 | 0- 0 | .--- | 13/2.6 | 20/4.0 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
Plum | 6/0 | 81/13.5 | 4- 20 | .200 | 2- 13 | .154 | 6- 6 | 1.000 | 12/2.0 | 16/2.7 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Tuck | 6/0 | 68/11.3 | 6- 24 | .250 | 2- 7 | .286 | 1- 1 | 1.000 | 12/2.0 | 15/2.5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Clarendon | 6/1 | 71/11.8 | 6- 15 | .400 | 0- 1 | .000 | 1- 1 | 1.000 | 12/2.0 | 13/2.2 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
USA | 6 | 1200 | 196-422 | .464 | 37-103 | .359 | 97-118 | .822 | 284/47.3 | 526/87.7 | 142 | 88 | 25 | 50 |
OPP. | 6 | 1200 | 159-425 | .374 | 39-145 | .269 | 47-68 | .691 | 214/35.7 | 404/67.3 | 101 | 98 | 18 | 42 |