Caitlin Clark’s stats don’t show her defense for Team USA against Spain in FIBA World Cup

The highlight reel for the United States' 76-66 victory win over Spain on Saturday will not be filled with jaw-dropping passes or splashy 3-pointers from Caitlin Clark.

Team USA will play for the gold medal of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup on Sunday beating Spain in the tournament’s semifinals. The Americans will face France, who they narrowly defeated in the gold medal game of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Team USA showed it can win without an explosive offensive performance from Clark.

The 24-year-old superstar guard of the Indiana Fever played just under 17 minutes in the win and scored one point, knocking down a free throw in the first quarter. Clark also had one rebound, one assist, one steal and two turnovers. She shot 0-of-3 from the floor — all 3-point attempts — and was 1-of-3 from the free-throw line.

Clark’s best offensive play of the day came in the opening period when she fed a bounce pass to Fever teammate Aliyah Boston for an easy layup.

While Clark’s stats didn’t jump off the page, there was a reason she played the second-most minutes off the bench for Kara Lawson. The Iowa product was stout on defense for stretches…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/