Rhyne Howard scored 14 points and led Team USA behind the arc with four 3-pointers. Milad Payami / FIBA via Getty ImagesSept. 4, 2026 Updated Team USA began the defense of its FIBA Women’s World Cup gold medal with a 94-61 drubbing of China in Berlin on Friday.The Americans, with a stacked roster of WNBA players, were led by Caitlin Clark, who scored 14 points and added 11 assists in her Team USA debut. Rhyne Howard also had 14 points and made a team-high four 3-pointers. Paige Bueckers, who was in early foul trouble, added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.“Paige was really key for us in that second half,” coach Kara Lawson said. “Playmaking, I thought Paige and Caitlin played off one another really well against that zone. They both can stretch the floor. … I limited Paige in the first half just because she was in foul trouble. It wasn’t that she did anything wrong.”
The Americans overcame a Chinese roster that includes 19-year-old Ziyu Zhang, listed at 7-foot-4. She put up 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes. Friday’s game gave scouts insight into how Zhang, one of the top prospects for the 2027 WNBA Draft, would fare against the league.China’s 7-foot-4 Ziyu Zhang towered over Team USA on the court in Friday’s FIBA game. (Marco Steinbrenner / DeFodi via Getty Images)When asked after the game about “looking up” when playing against Ziyu, Clark laughed and admitted she was unaccustomed to dealing with that height in the WNBA.“This was a different type of basketball game that I’ve probably ever played in my entire life,” the Indiana Fever guard said. “I’ve never played against a woman of that size. She obviously presented some challenges for us. You’ve got to give our post players a lot of credit. They really battled.”Clark and Team USA will play the second of three group-stage matches against Italy on Sunday.
