Caitlin Clark made her debut at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, setting a record as the United States defeated China 94:61 in their opening Group D match in Berlin on Friday.
Coming off the bench, Clark scored 14 points and recorded 11 assists, which set a US record for the most assists by a player in her debut match at the Women's World Cup. This figure surpassed the nine assists recorded by Alyssa Thomas against Belgium four years ago.
The 24-year-old Clark immediately impacted the game, distributing four assists in just four minutes. The Indiana Fever forward also made three three-pointers and committed no turnovers.
The champion team established a 27:14 lead after the first quarter before China managed to respond in the second period. Zhang Cyu's presence on the court created difficulties for the Americans, but the champion team managed to finish the half strongly, increasing the deficit to 49:29.
China posed another threat after the break, using zone defense to slow down the US attack and narrow the gap to 53:37. Nevertheless, the Americans responded with a decisive surge and entered the final quarter leading 70:42, securing a comfortable victory.
Clark, Rhyne Howard, and Paige Bueckers each scored 14 points for the US, while the team made 12 three-pointers. Clark's 11 assists also became the highest total among Americans in the Women's World Cup match since Dawn Staley recorded 12 assists against Russia in 1998.
For China, Luo Xinyu and 19-year-old Zhang each scored 13 points, while Han Xu recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Zhang, who is 2.2 meters tall, made nine of ten free throws and added two blocks in her World Cup debut.
This victory extended the USA's winning streak at the Women's World Cup to 31 matches, as the 11-time champion began her quest for a fifth consecutive crown.