U.S. Women’s Team Dominates Hungary 108-56 in Quarterfinal

BERLIN — The scoreboard said quarterfinal. The U.S. treated it like a statement.

Napheesa Collier poured in 19 points and headlined a ruthless American performance as the U.S. hammered Hungary 108-56 to storm into the FIBA Women’s World Cup semifinals on Thursday, extending a dynasty that shows no sign of slowing.

Next up: the winner of Spain vs. Australia on Saturday in the medal round. Different jersey, same target.

Records fall as the U.S. turn on the tap

This wasn’t just a win. It rewrote parts of the record book.

The 108 points marked the highest total ever scored by any team in a World Cup quarterfinal. The 31 assists? Another record for this stage. The ball fizzed, skipped and sliced through Hungary’s defense, rarely sticking in one pair of hands for long.

“When that ball is moving, we want to get the best possible shot,” said Kahleah Copper, who added 10 points. “We want to make sure everybody gets involved. Everyone here on this roster, we know what they’re doing on their respective (WNBA) teams. But you come here, you sacrifice a little bit of that.”

They didn’t just talk about turning good shots into great ones. They lived it for 40 minutes.

The Americans have now won 34 consecutive World Cup games, a run stretching back to the 2006 semifinals and that lone stumble against Russia. They have reached every medal round since 1983, when the format shifted. In Berlin, that history felt less like pressure and more like a standard they fully intend to protect.

Blitz from the opening tip

Any notion of a tense knockout clash vanished almost immediately.

The U.S. tore out to a 36-12 lead after the first quarter, suffocating Hungary at one end and slicing them apart at the other. They pounded the ball inside, turned steals into layups, and ran in waves Hungary simply couldn’t match.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, still building their international partnership, finished the opening period with a sharp pick-and-roll just before the buzzer — a neat snapshot of the group’s growing chemistry. Collier set the early tone, dropping 10 points in the first 10 minutes.

The onslaught didn’t let up. The Americans hit 20 of their first 26 shots, a blistering 77% clip, and drilled five of their first six attempts from beyond the arc. The lead ballooned to 50-18 with six minutes left in the half.

By the break, it was 59-30 — the highest-scoring first half in U.S. history in a World Cup knockout game, according to FIBA.

Clark orchestrates, Citron scare passes

Clark didn’t need to dominate the scoring to control the game. She finished with 10 points and nine assists, narrowly missing a second double-double of the tournament, but her fingerprints were everywhere in that 31-assist avalanche. She probed, pushed the pace and repeatedly put teammates in rhythm.

One anxious moment cut through the procession. Sonia Citron took an accidental hand to the nose from a Hungary player in the third quarter and had to leave the floor. The U.S. bench held its breath for a beat.

She returned to start the fourth. Crisis averted. Rhythm restored.

Defense locks down Hungary’s star

For all the offensive fireworks, the U.S. defense quietly delivered a ruthless job on Hungary’s centerpiece, Dorka Juhasz of the Minnesota Lynx.

Juhasz entered the night averaging 15.3 points and 11 rebounds in the tournament. She left with two points on 1-for-12 shooting. The Americans chased her off her spots, crowded her touches and forced her into rushed, uncomfortable looks. She missed her first seven shots and didn’t see the ball drop until 2:26 remained in the first half.

Hungary, to their credit, never folded in spirit. Reaching the quarterfinals marked their best World Cup finish under this format and their deepest run since placing fifth in 1957, when the event used a round-robin system without medal rounds. They leave with history made and a new benchmark set.

The U.S. leave with something else: a familiar feeling. Another semifinal ahead, another opponent trying to disrupt a machine that just scored 108 in cruise control.