Napheesa Collier scored 19 points as the United States overwhelmed Hungary 108-56 in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Women’s World Cup on Thursday in Berlin.
It is the 34th World Cup win in a row for the Americans, who will meet the winner of Thursday’s later game between Spain and Australia in the semifinal round on Saturday. The U.S. now has won 70 consecutive games between World Cup and Olympics competition.
Collier played just 15 minutes but was 9-of-13 shooting. She added a team-high seven rebounds.
For Collier, 10 of those points came in the first quarter as the U.S. outscored Hungary 36-12, and the opponent never recovered. The Americans were up 59-30 at the half, representing the most points the U.S. has scored at halftime in the event in team history, FIBA statistics show.
The Americans shot 58.8% (40-of-68) from the field and 52.2% (12-of-23) from 3-point territory. The defense held Hungary to 34.4% (22-of-64) for the game.
Dorka Juhasz, the lone WNBA player on Hungary’s roster, played a team-leading 31 minutes but scored just two points on a 1-of-12 shooting day. Juhasz, a teammate of Collier on the NBA-leading Minnesota Lynx, added eight rebounds and four assists – both team highs.
Reka Lelik scored 12 points to lead Hungary in scoring.
For the United States, every player scored and tallied at least 10 minutes on the floor.
Rhyne Howard scored 15 points, and Kahleah Copper, Jackie Young and Caitlin Clark each had 10.
Clark led the U.S. with nine assists, and Howard had a team-high four steals.
The U.S. also recorded 31 assists, which were a record for a quarterfinal game. Collier said the team, which didn’t have much practice time together before the tournament, has started to jell as a team.
“Having 30 assists really speaks to to the game,” she said in a postgame interview. “The way that we’re moving the ball, it’s not just one-on-one basketball. We’re playing as a team. Multiple people are getting touches. We’re finding the best shot, not just a good shot.”
–Field Level Media
