For much of the first half against France, Team USA finally looked vulnerable. France had built a 14-point lead in the FIBA World Cup final, but the Americans never let the score become a reason for panic, and, according to Aliyah Boston, the main ingredient of their indomitable spirit was one Caitlin Clark sequence.
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During the postgame interview, Boston was asked about several moments of the game, and when one reporter asked about the Clark three-pointer that closed the second quarter, Boston made it clear that it changed everything for them, per BallinEurope’s YouTube video.
“Big three, 100%. Definitely a momentum changer, I think,” Boston told reporters. “She took it and shot it with confidence, got us to two, and then we came out, and we knew that game was ours.”
The play itself took place with just under seven seconds left in the first half. Chelsea Gray threw a long inbound pass to Jackie Young, who raced up the court and drew two defenders near the three-point line. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Clark on the left wing, left open, passed her the ball, and watched as the guard hit a long three to make the score 43-45 as time expired.
However, the comeback wasn’t limited to just Clark’s heroics. France established a 31-17 lead in Q2, but the USA stormed back with 26 points to close the gap. Boston praised the team’s resilience during this stretch in particular during her interview.
“In those moments, about a resilient mindset. It’s not gonna be pretty when you’re at a tournament like this. Teams are competing for their country; they’re competing to hold this gold medal around their neck. So it’s not always gonna be pretty basketball. I think that’s the thing about us is that we’re used to sometimes just getting it out the mud and being scrappy.”
Clark’s three sparked something in Team USA, because after halftime, they played like a team possessed. They opened the third quarter on an 11-2 run, turning the two-point deficit at halftime into a 54-47 lead, then followed it up a little later with a 16-3 surge, pushing the lead further away. At the end of the quarter, the Americans outscored the French 30-12.
Caitlin Clark’s scoring was huge in this stretch, with her coming off the bench to score 12 points in 13 minutes. Boston also pointed out that the effort was spearheaded by the team’s veteran leaders and made it clear that their knowledge was valuable for a team that has had to rely on young talent off the bench.
“The biggest thing that they continued to harp on was stay composed. They said it doesn’t matter what happens in the game, it’s a 40 minute game and we just have to be ready for it and don’t worry about any extra stuff, just come out there and play.”
Breanna Stewart led the way for the team with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Jackie Young added 18 points, five assists, and six rebounds. Kahleah Copper contributed 15 points, and Chelsea Gray logged 12.
The win marked Team USA’s fifth consecutive FIBA Women’s World Cup title, their 12th overall. Boston was glad that she and the squad could make it to the gold medal and said so during the interview.
“Yeah, it feels great,” she said. “It was super fun, and obviously it was great to be here, being with these women. And it feels great to get what we want.”
Now, as Team USA heads home, Boston can remember how Clark’s momentum-changing shot represented something greater about the American team. Instead of needing the game to be comfortable, they just needed to be close enough for one play to change the situation around. She will look for the same momentum from Caitlin Clark as the Indiana Fever make their way to the playoffs after the remaining regular-season games.