Team USA Grinds Past Spain 76-66, Sets Up Rematch With France for World Cup Gold

Team USA didn't blow anyone out this time. The defending champions needed a fourth-quarter run to shake off a stubborn Spain team and escape Berlin's Arena with a 76-66 semifinal win on Saturday, September 12, according to the Associated Press via CBS News.

Spain came out swinging, building a 9-1 lead in the opening minutes, the biggest deficit the Americans faced all tournament, according to Al Jazeera. Team USA clawed back to lead 21-18 after the first quarter and 39-36 at halftime, but Spain refused to fold. María Conde and Iyana Martín hit threes to erase the gap, and Martín's free throws tied it at 58-58 heading into the fourth, according to The Guardian.

That's when the Americans finally looked like the four-time defending champions they are. Team USA opened the final period on a 12-2 run, according to The Guardian. The lead pushed to 70-60 with 5:20 left and closed out the fourth quarter 18-8.

Breanna Stewart led the way with 16 points and six rebounds. Kahleah Copper added 13, and Jackie Young chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, scoring six of those points in the decisive fourth quarter, according to CBS Sports. Stewart made 8 of 11 free throws by herself, as many attempts as Spain's entire team, per CBS Sports.

Free throws were the story of the night. Team USA shot 27 of 35 from the line while Spain went 10 for the game, an advantage that CBS Sports called "ultimately the difference." The Americans shot just 40% from the field and 3 of 18 from three-point range, with 15 turnovers against only nine assists.

Spain's Martín and Conde each scored 17 points. Martín, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft who did not play a WNBA season, became the youngest player to score more than 16 points in a Women's World Cup semifinal, according to The Sports Encounter.

Clark's role, again

Caitlin Clark came off the bench for the third straight game and finished with one point, one assist, one rebound and missed all three of her shots, according to Fox News and the Guardian. She turned the ball over twice under heavy Spanish pressure, per Al Jazeera.

Clark's limited role has generated real debate. After Team USA's 108-56 quarterfinal rout of Hungary, Fox News's Dan Dakich argued fans and media demanding a lineup change were ignoring a system that's clearly working, pointing out coach Kara Lawson has leaned on veteran players who've delivered results. Lawson's rotation, built around Stewart, Copper and Young, just won a tight semifinal that a more experimental lineup might not have survived. A coach picking her best performers over a bigger name is exactly how a meritocracy is supposed to work, whether or not it satisfies fans who bought tickets to watch Clark specifically.

At the same time, Clark entered the semifinal leading the team in assists, and her near-invisibility against Spain with zero field goals and minimal touches deserves scrutiny on the court. Lawson hasn't publicly explained the bench decision beyond crediting the group that's currently on the floor.

What's next

Team USA's win extended its World Cup streak to 35 games, a run dating back to a 2006 semifinal loss to Russia, according to CBS News and Al Jazeera. The Americans now face France on Sunday, September 13, in Berlin, a rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal game the U.S. won 67-66 after France's Gabby Williams stepped on the three-point line on a potential game-tying shot at the buzzer.

France reached the final for the first time in program history after beating host Germany 86-64, led by Williams's 22 points, according to Al Jazeera. Spain will play Germany on Sunday for bronze.

A U.S. win would tie the former Soviet Union's record of five consecutive World Cup titles, set from 1959 to 1975, and give the Americans their 12th championship overall, according to CBS Sports and The Sports Encounter. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET Sunday. Whether Clark's minutes expand in a gold medal game against the tournament's only unbeaten team is something Lawson has yet to address publicly.