Team USA cruised into the semifinals of the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup with a historic 108-56 victory over Hungary in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The 108 points were the most ever scored in a quarterfinal game at the World Cup, and tied for the second-most ever scored in a knockout-round game. Additionally, Team USA's 31 assists were a record for a quarterfinal game.
Next up for the Americans, who have now won 34 consecutive games at the World Cup, will be the winner of Spain and Australia. Their quarterfinal matchup is set for 2:45 p.m. After surviving a major scare from Italy in the second game of the tournament, Team USA has been utterly dominant, and their performance against Hungary was as good as it gets.
They shot 60% from the field, knocked down 12 3-pointers, outscored Hungary 52-16 in the paint, dished out 31 assists and were so locked in defensively that Hungary had more turnovers (27) than made shots (22). "This was one of our most complete performances of the tournament," Team USA coach Kara Lawson said. "Defensively we were active, forced a lot of turnovers, was really pleased by that.
And then offensively, we as coaches love when they share the ball and they did that at a high level... Pleased to be moving on and excited to find out later who our matchup will be." Team USA is now two wins away from a fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal, which would tie the Soviet Union's record of five consecutive golds from 1959-1975. As the Americans prepare for Saturday's semifinal, here are some key takeaways from a big win over Hungary.
Napheesa Collier, who only returned from offseason surgery on both ankles in late July, got off to a slow start in Berlin and managed just 10 points on 13 shots in the first two games against China and Italy. But in the group stage finale against Czechia, she found a rhythm and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and two assists. Against Hungary, she picked up right where she left off.
Her bucket just under six minutes into the game put Team USA up 20-9 and established a double-digit lead that would only grow throughout the day. In the first quarter alone, Collier registered 10 points, three rebounds and a block. Collier only ended up playing 15 minutes due to the nature of the game, but still finished with 19 points, six rebounds and a block, and Team USA was +35 with her on the floor.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
