USA defeat France to win 12th FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup

Breanna Stewart leads comeback triumph for the grounds champions contempt France’s aboriginal pb successful the Berlin final.

The United States person won the Women’s Basketball World Cup for a record-extending 12th time, defeating a spirited France 97-79 successful the last successful Berlin.

Perennial red-hot favourites, having not mislaid a World Cup lucifer since 2006, the Americans were beneath their champion for overmuch of the tourney earlier walking distant with the trophy connected Sunday.

USA trailed by 2 points astatine half-time to an energetic France side, but turned it connected erstwhile it mattered, outscoring the Europeans 30-12 successful the 3rd quarter.

American seasoned Breanna Stewart erstwhile again led from the front, scoring a game-high 22 points, portion Jackie Young deed 4 important threes and finished with 18 points to widen USA’s grounds to 36 wins successful a enactment astatine the tournament.

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark scored conscionable 1 constituent successful the semifinal, but chipped successful with immoderate important buckets down the stretch, scoring 12, including 2 threes.

USA’s powerfulness guardant Breanna Stewart attempts a lay-up [Odd Andersen/AFP]

Playing successful their first-ever World Cup final, France were seeking revenge for their one-point nonaccomplishment successful the golden medal lucifer astatine the 2024 Paris Olympics, but mislaid their composure arsenic the Americans turned connected the afterburners successful the 2nd half.

France’s Gabby Williams, the subordinate of the lucifer successful their semifinal triumph implicit Germany, scored an awesome 16 points successful the opening half, but added conscionable 4 much aft that.

USA, immense favourites who are utilized to dominating World Cups and the Olympics, came into Sunday’s crippled looking vulnerable, having travel adjacent to defeats against unheralded Italy and again against Spain successful the semifinals.

No squad had travel wrong 20 points of France arsenic they cruised into a maiden World Cup last and started strongly, ending the opening 4th with a three-point pb and moving retired to a 14-point pb midway done the second.

Forced to up the ante, USA fought backmost with Young hitting 2 quick-fire threes and Clark grabbing 1 of her ain seconds earlier half-time, cutting France’s pb to 2 points.

USA were acold much composed aft that, with Clark uncovering her scope from the tract arsenic the defending champions took the steam retired of the lucifer successful the 4th arsenic they kept the French astatine bay.

Earlier connected Sunday, Spain soothed the disappointment of their constrictive semifinal nonaccomplishment to USA by claiming bronze with an 81-58 triumph implicit Germany.

France’s guardant and skipper Gabby Williams applauds the fans aft the last [Tobias Schwarz/AFP]