Team USA was not initially pleased with how it played in its 33-point win Thursday over the Serbian squad in the 2022 FIBA World Cup quarterfinals, despite the final score.
However, Team USA did not leave any sort of ambiguity regarding their strength in Friday's semifinal. By demolishing team Canada 83-43 to advance to the gold-medal game Saturday at 2 am ET, they are looking in their quest to earn a fourth consecutive World Cup championship. The team will play China, which beat Australia in the other semifinal 61-59, in a rematch of their group stage meeting, in which the US was triumphant by 14.
Top-ranked US team scored the first 15 points in Friday's game and never looked back, holding Canada, the No. 4 team according to the FIBA world rankings.
The United States has now claimed 29 consecutive FIBA World Cup games, starting back to the time of the bronze-medal match in 2006. Since 1994, team USA has dropped in just one game in a major international competition (World Cup and Olympics).
Playing in its second World Cup semifinal and first since 1986, Team Canada surpassed many expectations during this tournament by finishing second after a ninth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics that made the team part ways with their former coach.
With Victor Lapeña now at the helm of affairs, the team Canada found success defensively, but that intensity was not present against the US. On Friday, the US team became the first to hold an opponent under 50 points during a World Cup semifinal and recorded the highest margin of victory (40) for that round of the game.
"I think that we were not happy with the way we started yesterday against Serbia," FIBA World Cup MVP Breanna Stewart said. "There were moments when we played well, but there were a lot of moments that we did not, and really making sure that was the point of emphasis today. It was the way we started the game, we wanted to make sure that we set the tone for the entire game."
The USA held Canada scoreless for the first nine shots before the Canadians finally put one through the basket. Shakira Austin's free throws got the US up 27-7 at the end of the first quarter, and then, when the starters were reinserted into the game midway through the second, the US kicked things into a new gear, entering halftime up 45-21.
It was not the flawless first 20 minutes for Team USA, but the team's defense, which has been its calling card during this tournament, held steady to build its lead.
"I was really pleased with the way our team gave attention to detail in the scouting report. Canada has had a terrific tournament," USA national team coach Cheryl Reeve said. "I wanted the team to make sure they understood what they just did and how hard they made it for team Canada to score the ball. Canada is a good defensive team, so this was a quality win for us. Our goal is to win the gold medal, and we are in a position to do that."
A 22-8 third quarter, scored by a buzzer-beater half-court heave by Sabrina Ionescu, extended the US team's lead to 67-29. The team's three-headed monster of Stewart (17 points), A'ja Wilson (15 points, 12 rebounds), and Kelsey Plum (14 points) combinedly outscored Canada 46-43, while Alyssa Thomas added 10 points.
Team USA returns to its spot in the gold-medal game despite having eight players on the roster who had never appeared in a World Cup before. Five of the team’s 12 players arrived in Sydney following the WNBA Finals, with the three champion Las Vegas Aces players not able to participate in the first two games of the tournament
"I mean, it's not easy to get there," Jewell Loyd said. "It may sometimes seem like it, but it's really not easy, and with a new team and new faces, it's exciting!"
Two-way wing Kahleah Copper, who figured in multiple games during this tournament, missed the semifinal with a left hip injury she suffered in the quarterfinal. Reeve said that there is "a chance she will take the court Saturday".
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