Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Kiki Iriafen made their senior nationwide crew debuts Wednesday as a part of a younger core that helped Staff USA rout Senegal 110-46 in Group A motion on the FIBA Girls’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Match in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Angel Reese, who gained a silver medal with USA Basketball on the 2023 FIBA AmeriCup, additionally performed a task within the blowout win.
Clark and Rhyne Howard led the way in which towards Senegal. Howard scored a team-high 21 factors on 6-of-8 capturing from deep, whereas Clark added 17 factors and a game-high 12 assists in slightly below 20 minutes, capturing 4-of-5 from three and an ideal 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.
After not enjoying for eight months, Clark competed in her first sport since July 5 with the Indiana Fever, earlier than accidents derailed most of her 2025 WNBA season. Earlier than the match, Clark made clear she simply needed to play once more — any sport, any degree.
CAITLIN CLARK IN HER SENIOR NT DEBUT:
🔷17 PTS🔷12 AST#FIBAWWC x #WeOwnTheGame pic.twitter.com/9iCzULi58m
— FIBA Girls’s Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) March 11, 2026
„Everyone’s simply excited to get on the market and play,“ Clark stated. „Fairly a number of of us, it is our first time on the senior nationwide crew. Anytime you get to place USA on, however particularly at this degree, not very many individuals get to try this. So actually, an unimaginable honor.“
Clark confirmed no indicators of rust in her return, threading passes and pulling down open seems effectively — a two-time FIBA U19 World Cup gold medalist and 2021 match MVP who appeared each bit the half. She admitted afterward there have been moments the place she was „sucking air.“
„I really feel like I had my wind fairly properly,“ Clark stated. „I felt like I used to be enjoying quick, and that was my purpose. I do know that is what I can carry to this crew.“
Bueckers, Reese Ship for Staff USA
Bueckers, who coined the group’s nickname — the „younger and turnt“ class — chipped in 9 factors, 4 rebounds and three assists off the bench. Reese grabbed eight rebounds to go along with six factors in 17 minutes, per the unrelenting work on the glass that made her a two-time WNBA All-Star. Iriafen contributed six factors, 4 rebounds and two steals whereas capturing an ideal 2-of-2 from the sphere.
„It is actually enjoyable simply to see our journeys and the place we had been after we had been youthful,“ Bueckers stated. „Life can go quite a lot of other ways. So for us to proceed to grind, work arduous, and simply be right here at this level in life is basically rewarding.“
That’s turnt 🔋@CaitlinClark22 ➡️ @paigebueckers1
🇺🇸 #USABWNT x #FIBAWWC pic.twitter.com/hmigeJ9V1F
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) March 11, 2026
Clark, Bueckers, and Reese share a historical past within the junior nationwide crew expertise pool, and all three competed towards one another in school. Iriafen’s path was totally different — she earned her spot on this roster with out that youth program background. All 4 at the moment are enjoying alongside Olympic gold medalists Chelsea Grey, Jackie Younger, Kahleah Copper, and Kelsey Plum, together with veterans Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby. Reese stated the youthful gamers have leaned on that have all week.
„We now have quite a lot of vets that had been on the Olympic crew, so they have been capable of present us quite a lot of the way in which,“ Reese stated. „There are quite a lot of new faces right here, however we are able to rely rather a lot on our vets, as a result of they’ve been on this second and so they have this expertise. So I am trying ahead to simply having the ability to hear and soaking it up, and I do know at some point the roles are reversed, and I will be a vet. So hopefully that may be instance.“
Subsequent Up: Puerto Rico
Senegal scored the primary level of the night time on the 8:44 mark of the primary quarter, however that was nearly as good because it bought — Staff USA responded with 15 straight factors and by no means appeared again, with Kahleah Copper scoring six through the burst because the protection pressured a number of turnovers to gasoline the quick break. Staff USA shot 60.7 % from the sphere and 54.8 % from three on the night time, piling up 30 assists on 37 made baskets because the lead ballooned to 64 factors.
Congrats in your 🇺🇸 #USABWNT debut @Reese10Angel! pic.twitter.com/FJ7M1mOwK2
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) March 12, 2026
Staff USA’s World Cup berth was already secured earlier than the primary tip in Puerto Rico — Berlin in September is already on the schedule. However coach Kara Lawson remains to be utilizing the video games to kind out lineups and personnel, with managing director Sue Hen evaluating gamers to assist form the World Cup roster.
Staff USA will face Puerto Rico Thursday night time, Mar. 12, at 7:45 p.m. ET. Yow will discover the total schedule HERE.
