The US women's basketball squad put on a show in Australia this past Monday. In a commanding group stage win, they defeated South Korea 145-69, setting a new scoring record for the FIBA Women's World Cup. In doing so, they surpassed Brazil's 1990 mark of 143 points achieved against Malaysia.
Leading the scoring charge was Brionna Jones, who put up 24 points while shooting a lethal 12-of-14. The offensive load was well-distributed, with eight US players reaching double figures. WNBA MVP and champion A’ja Wilson was equally efficient, scoring 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting. The historic tally was officially sealed when Shakira Austin scored a layup with only nine seconds remaining. South Korea's top performer was Hyejin Park, who finished with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
The statistical dominance continued as the US set new benchmarks with 62 field goals, 36 assists, and 94 points scored in the paint. The impact of the substitutes was massive, with the US bench totaling 88 points, surpassing the South Korean bench by 19. This performance also beat the previous US team record of 119 points (set against China in 2004 and Angola in 2014) and resulted in the largest margin of victory in the history of American basketball.
This victory extends the US winning streak at the FIBA World Cup to 26 games. They haven't tasted defeat in this tournament since the 2006 semifinals loss to Russia, matching their own best streak of 26 wins established between 1994 and 2006. While impressive, they are still chasing the all-time FIBA record held by the Soviet Union, who won 56 straight games from 1959 to 1986.
Reflecting on the win, A’ja Wilson mentioned that she had never been part of a team capable of such explosive scoring. She described the game as 'crazy' and expressed her pride in the immense talent and seamless chemistry displayed by her teammates.
Having already secured a spot in the quarterfinals with wins over Belgium, Puerto Rico, and China, the US currently leads the tournament in scoring, averaging 103.8 points per game. Their final group match is scheduled for Tuesday against Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by the start of the quarterfinals on Thursday.