Spain's star center Megan DiLeo acknowledged Caitlin Clark's role on the U.S. team's bench ahead of their FIBA Women's World Cup semifinal matchup. DiLeo, a 2025 WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces and a former Iowa Hawkeyes teammate of Clark's, stated that Clark's performance will be significant whether she starts or comes off the bench.

"She's just a great player, it doesn't really matter when she goes into a game, she's going to make an impact," DiLeo said of Clark. "We just gotta be ready for her and for the rest of the roster. They're talented, they're deep. It kind of doesn't really matter who comes in."

Team USA coach Kara Lawson has opted to start veteran Chelsea Gray over Clark at point guard for the U.S.'s initial games, despite Clark playing more minutes and posting superior statistics. This decision has drawn criticism from some fans, but the U.S. team has maintained a 4-0 record en route to the semifinals.

Saturday's semifinal will mark a reunion for DiLeo and Clark, who were both associated with the University of Iowa's basketball program. DiLeo played for the Hawkeyes from 2015-2019, a year before Clark arrived on campus. DiLeo mentioned she was involved in recruiting Clark to Iowa.

"Whenever I go back to visit campus and stuff and she was still playing we would get to interact and stuff, we check in on eachother every once in a while now. Just super happy we get to represent Iowa," DiLeo added.

Despite not speaking to Clark since arriving in Germany due to scheduling, DiLeo expressed excitement about facing her on Saturday. DiLeo had a distinguished college career, earning consensus National Player of the Year honors in 2019 and leaving Iowa with school records for points and rebounds. Her jersey, No. 10, was retired by the university.

Clark, a two-time consensus National Player of the Year, concluded her collegiate career as the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer and led Iowa to consecutive national championship games. Her jersey, No. 22, was also retired by the university.

This will not be the first international contest between the two players. The U.S. defeated Spain 84-70 in the World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico in March. DiLeo scored 15 points for Spain, while Clark contributed seven points and seven assists, earning tournament MVP honors after leading the U.S. to a 5-0 record.

DiLeo became a naturalized Spanish citizen in 2023 and has been a key player for Spain since her debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, averaging 18 points and 9.3 rebounds. She recently scored 16 points in Spain's 89-66 quarterfinal victory over Australia.

The U.S. secured its semifinal spot with a dominant 108-56 win against Hungary, setting World Cup quarterfinal records for points and assists. Clark recorded 10 points and a game-high nine assists in 20 minutes during that game, ranking third among all players in assists per game in the tournament.

Spain enters the semifinal as an underdog. The U.S. has won all 11 previous matchups against Spain, including the 2014 World Cup championship and the 2016 Rio Olympics gold medal game. The Americans have won 34 consecutive World Cup games dating back to 2006 and are seeking their fifth consecutive World Cup title. Spain, a three-time World Cup medalist, has never won gold.

The semifinal is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. local time in Berlin.