Team USA showcased its formidable presence in the FIBA Women's World Cup quarterfinals with a decisive 108-56 victory over Hungary. The dominant performance came just days after the team was demoted to second place behind France in FIBA's official power rankings, a shift that seemed to go unnoticed by the American players and coaching staff.

Head coach Kara Lawson and player Kahleah Copper expressed unawareness regarding the ranking change. "We try to focus our energies on the things that can change results and that can help us be prepared," Lawson stated. The team's objective remains focused on their semifinal match and delivering a strong performance.

Dominant Performance Against Hungary

The quarterfinal game saw Team USA achieve what Lawson described as "one of our most complete performances of the tournament." Every American player contributed to the scoring, led by Napheesa Collier's tournament-high 19 points. The team demonstrated exceptional ball movement, with 31 assists on 40 made field goals, including a team-high nine assists from Caitlin Clark. The U.S. shot 58.8 percent from the field and outscored Hungary 36-12 in the first quarter alone, effectively ending any competitive hope for the Hungarian team.

"We couldn’t bring the energy today to the court that would be necessary to play a close game against the U.S.," said Hungary coach Péter Völgyi. "Missed a lot of open shots, and on the other end, we allowed to get the U.S. some easy baskets. So basically, after the first quarter, it was game."

Team USA's defense was a significant catalyst for their offense, generating 44 points from Hungary's 27 turnovers. The team also dominated the paint, scoring 52 points inside. "Defensively, we were active, forced a lot of turnovers," Lawson noted. "Was really pleased by that. And then offensively, we as coaches love when they share the ball and they did at just a high level… Really unselfish for our group and another balanced attack."

This victory marked Team USA's highest-scoring game and largest margin of victory in the tournament to date. The team is pursuing its fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal and has not lost a major tournament game since 2006.

Contention with France

France has emerged as a significant challenger to the U.S. women's basketball dynasty. The French team, featuring WNBA players Gabby Williams, Dominique Malonga, Janelle Salaun, and Marine Johannès, narrowly missed forcing overtime against the U.S. in the 2024 Olympic gold medal game. France also dominated their preliminary group play, winning by an average of 43 points, which contributed to their top ranking in FIBA's latest power rankings.

Despite the external discussion about rankings, the U.S. team's focus remains on their upcoming semifinal match. They will face the winner of the Spain-Australia game. "As far as France, what a wonderful team, and they’ve had an outstanding World Cup so far, so they should have a lot of people thinking they can do well," Lawson commented, acknowledging the strength of their potential opponents.