USA edge Spain to book Women’s Basketball World Cup final against France

USA emerged 76-66 winners successful a tense semifinal aft Gabby Williams-led France powered past hosts Germany 86-64.

The United States volition instrumentality connected France successful the last of the women’s hoops World Cup aft scraping to a 76-66 semifinal triumph implicit Spain successful Berlin.

Underdogs Spain, whose best-ever effect was reaching the 2014 last against the Americans, levelled the scores astatine 58-all astatine the extremity of the 3rd 4th against the defending champions connected Saturday.

But the acquisition of the 11-time champions told successful the last play arsenic USA outscored their opponents by 10 to seal victory.

Led by 16 points from Breanna Stewart and 13 from Kahleah Copper, USA extended their winning streak astatine the tourney to 35 matches, a tally that dates backmost to a semifinal decision by Russia successful 2006.

Sunday’s clash with France volition beryllium a rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympics golden medal match, which the Americans won by conscionable 1 point.

“That’s over, you cognize what I mean? We won that crippled and that crippled is over, and this is simply a wholly caller crippled tomorrow,” Stewart told reporters erstwhile asked astir the 2024 final.

“Everybody has their ain things that proceed to motivate them … but this is 1 crippled to triumph the golden medal successful the World Cup successful Berlin, and that’s our full focus.”

It was different disappointing night, though, for Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, who scored conscionable 1 constituent and turned the shot implicit doubly nether aggravated unit from the Spanish defence.

Spain made a accelerated commencement and built an eight-point pb midway done the archetypal quarter.

The Americans recovered their bushed and controlled overmuch of the 2nd and 3rd quarters, edging up arsenic Copper and Stewart kept the scoreboard ticking over.

But, arsenic they had against Italy, the Americans allowed their strength to drop, and Spain fought back, finishing the 3rd 4th connected a 9-2 tally to gully level.

Spain had the 12,650-strong assemblage down them arsenic a stunning upset seemed connected the cards, but the Americans stood gangly erstwhile it mattered, starting the last 4th with a 12-2 burst to regain control.

France’s guardant Gabby Williams and Germany’s constituent defender Clara Bielefeld successful enactment [Tobias Schwarz/AFP]

Gabby Williams leads France to archetypal final

France precocious to the last for the archetypal clip aft an 86-64 triumph implicit big federation Germany earlier successful the day.

Gabby Williams apical scored with 22 points for the Olympic metallic medallists, who preserved their unbeaten grounds astatine the tourney going into Sunday’s decider successful Berlin.

The US-born Williams, who besides dished retired 5 assists and recorded 4 steals, was the changeless menace connected some ends of the level for the French.

Admitting she was “on a mission”, Williams told BeIN Sports: “I conscionable privation to springiness it my all.

“You ne'er cognize erstwhile you’ll get an accidental similar this. You don’t cognize if it’ll beryllium the past one. So, I’m conscionable going to springiness everything.”

Marieme Badiane told reporters the French would not beryllium daunted by the imaginable of trying to halt the American juggernaut.

“We each realise that we tin spell for the eventual prize. That’s the extremity now. We aren’t stopping here. No 1 is going to fto up.”

Outsiders Germany swept past European champions Belgium successful their quarterfinal clash for a archetypal semifinal quality arsenic a unified country, with East Germany having made the last 4 successful 1967.

France burst retired of the blocks early, but the Germans stayed blistery connected their heels, trailing by conscionable 2 astatine the extremity of the opening period.

France’s prime told arsenic the lucifer went connected and they scored 9 unanswered points to statesman the 2nd half, surging into a 16-point lead.

Alexis Peterson and Emily Bessoir deed threes successful the last 4th arsenic the Germans chopped the pb to 9 to enactment wrong touch, but France pulled distant again with a 12-0 tally to adjacent retired the match.

Gabby Williams leads France’s celebrations [Tobias Schwarz/AFP]