Fifteen minutes was all she needed
Napheesa Collier finished with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting. She was on the floor for 15 minutes. That is the whole story of the United States’ 108-56 quarterfinal win over Hungary at the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin this morning.
Ten of those points landed in the first quarter, a stretch the Americans won 36-12. Hungary never got closer. By halftime the score read 59-30, the most points the United States has ever scored in a first half at this tournament according to FIBA’s own numbers.
Collier added seven rebounds, a team high. She did not need to come back out after the break.
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Thirty-four in a row
The win extends the American World Cup streak to 34 straight games. Across World Cup and Olympic play combined, the run now sits at 70 consecutive victories.
The shooting explains the margin. The United States hit 58.8 percent from the field and 52.2 percent from three, while the defense held Hungary to 34.4 percent. The Americans also handed out 31 assists, a record for a World Cup quarterfinal.
Rhyne Howard scored 15. Kahleah Copper, Jackie Young and Caitlin Clark each finished with 10, and Clark led everyone with nine assists. Howard picked up four steals. Every American player scored, and every one of them logged at least ten minutes.
“Having 30 assists really speaks to the game,” Collier said afterwards. “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.”
A rough morning for Juhasz
Dorka Juhasz, the only WNBA player on the Hungarian roster and Collier’s teammate at the Minnesota Lynx, played a team-leading 31 minutes and scored two points on 1-of-12 shooting. She still topped Hungary in rebounds with eight and assists with four. Reka Lelik led the scoring with 12.
The Americans meet the winner of Spain against Australia in Saturday’s semifinal. Collier put the sluggish ball movement of earlier rounds down to how little time this group had together before the tournament. On Thursday’s evidence, that problem has been solved.
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