Team USA is on top of the world after an 83-61 win over China in the final of the 2022 Women's World Cup on Saturday. As was the case so often in this tournament, the Americans' depth and level of talent eventually overwhelmed their opponent after a fairly competitive start to the game.
A'ja Wilson led the way in the scoring department with 19 points, while Kelsey Plum added 17 points of her own. Chelsea Gray (10 points, four rebounds, eight assists and three steals) and Breanna Stewart (nine points, six rebounds and six assists) both played strong all-around games.
Wilson was named Women's World Cup MVP after averaging 17.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals during the tournament. She was also named to the All-Star Five along with Stewart. Alyssa Thomas, meanwhile, was honored as the event's Best Defensive Player.
This was the fourth consecutive World Cup title for Team USA, who have still not lost at the event since the semifinals in 2006. While they are still one win short of the Soviet Union's record five consecutive gold medals from 1959-75, Team USA does have the most wins overall with 11.
This edition of the World Cup was held in Australia and wraps up Saturday. All games were played in Sydney at multiple venues in the historic city. Twelve teams participated in the tournament, and they were split into two six-team groups for the preliminary stage. The top four teams from each group then advanced to the single-elimination knockout stage. China earned the silver medal, while the hosts Australia won bronze and Canada finished fourth.
Results
Team USA hwas drawn into Group A along with Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Puerto Rico and South Korea. They played each team once and hardly broke a sweat qualifying for the knockout stage. They cruised through the knockout stage as well, winning each of their final three games by at least 20 points.
Preliminary round
- Team USA 87, Belgium 72 (Box score)
- Team USA 106, Puerto Rico 42 (Box score)
- Team USA 77, China 63 (Box Score)
- Team USA 145, South Korea 69 (Box score)
- Team USA 121, Bosnia and Herzegovina 59 (Box score)
Knockout stage
- Quarterfinals: Team USA 88, Serbia 55 (Box score)
- Semifinals: Team USA 83, Canada 43 (Box score)
- Final: Team USA 83 China 61 (Box score)
Roster
Team USA was waiting to release a final roster until the conclusion of the WNBA Finals. If the series had gone to a decisive Game 5, then players from the Las Vegas Aces and Connecticut Sun likely would not have been included. As it was, the Aces took care of business in four games, winning their first-ever title.
Now, the roster has been set, and regular season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year A'ja Wilson, Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, triple-double history-maker Alyssa Thomas and Sixth Player of the Year Brionna Jones have all made the cut. It would have been fascinating to see the roster if those Finals stars weren't able to go to Australia.
As its stands, this will already be a new-look national team. Stalwarts such as Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Sylvia Fowles and Diana Taurasi have aged out, Napheesa Collier is still recovering from her pregnancy, Skylar Diggins-Smith has taken a hiatus from basketball due to personal reasons and Brittney Griner remains detained in Russia.
Only five members of the gold medal-winning team from the 2020 Olympics are on this team: Ariel Atkins, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson. Of course, the two best players in the world, the reigning Finals MVP and two other All-Stars is a good place to start any roster.
| Player | Position | WNBA team |
|---|---|---|
Ariel Atkins | Guard | Washington Mystics |
Shakira Austin | Forward/Center | Washington Mystics |
Kahleah Copper | Guard/Forward | Chicago Sky |
Chelsea Gray | Guard | Las Vegas Aces |
Sabrina Ionescu | Guard | New York Liberty |
Brionna Jones | Center | Connecticut Sun |
Betnijah Laney | Guard/Forward | New York Liberty |
Jewell Loyd | Guard | Seattle Storm |
Kelsey Plum | Guard | Las Vegas Aces |
Breanna Stewart | Forward | Seattle Storm |
Alyssa Thomas | Forward | Connecticut Sun |
A'ja Wilson | Forward | Las Vegas Aces |
Coaching Staff
- Head coach: Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx)
- Assistant: Mike Thibault (Washington Mystics)
- Assistant: Kara Lawson (Duke)
- Assistant: Joni Taylor (Texas A&M)
