Caitlin Clark set a United States debut assist record as the defending champions opened their FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup campaign with a 94–61 victory over China on Friday.
Coming off the bench, Clark supplied 11 assists, surpassing the previous USA World Cup debut mark of nine set by Alyssa Thomas against Belgium in 2022, according to FIBA.
The 24-year-old guard also scored 14 points, made three three-pointers and recorded an efficiency rating of 22. FIBA named her player of the game.
Clark is one of eight players to register more than 10 assists in a Women’s World Cup game since the statistic began being officially recorded in 1994. The tournament’s single-game record remains 13 assists.
Paige Bueckers and Rhyne Howard also scored 14 points for the United States, which led 27–14 after the first quarter and 49–29 at halftime.
Zhang Ziyu led China with 13 points in her senior international debut, while Han Xu added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The victory extended the United States’ Women’s World Cup winning streak to 31 games. The Americans have not lost in the competition since a semifinal defeat by Russia in 2006 and are seeking a fifth consecutive world title in Berlin.
The expanded 16-team tournament continues through September 13.
