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Kahleah Copper leads Team USA to win over Spain, perfect record: Highlights
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- Kahleah Copper leads Team USA to win over Spain, perfect record: Highlights
The USA women's national basketball team's pursuit of its ninth-consecutive Olympic gold medal is underway and the Americans look dominant as ever.
Team USA cruised to a 5-0 record at the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico after defeating Spain 84-70 on Tuesday. Following the win, the American players were handed boarding passes to the FIBA World Cup in September in Berlin, in addition to black baseball caps that read, "We own the game."
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The U.S. women owned the qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico and won by an average margin of 42 points in five games across seven days. The feat was even more impressive considering half of Team USA's roster was rookies making their national senior team debut.
Tuesday's matchup against Spain, however, marked the closest contest of the bunch. Kahleah Copper led the way with 20 points and two rebounds. She was one of three players in double-digits, joining Kelsey Plum (18) and Dearica Hamby (14). Caitlin Clark added seven points and seven assists, while Angel Reese had eight rebounds.
Spain's Megan Gustafson (15) and Raquel Carrera (15) combined for 30 points in the loss, while Awa Fam added 10 points and five rebounds in the losing effort.
USA TODAY Sports provided live updates and highlights of Tuesday's matchup between USA and Spain. Catch up below.
End of Q3: USA 61, Spain 47
Team USA has a 14-point lead over Spain heading into the fourth quarter. Three players are in double-digits for Team USA, led by 15-points from Kahleah Copper. Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby each added ten points.
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Megan Gustafson (13) and Raquel Carrera (12) lead Spain in scoring.
Caitlin Clark stats today
Caitlin Clark has seven points in 22:29 minutes on the court, shooting 2-of-7 from the field and 1-of-5 from the 3-point line. Clark's stat line is rounded out by seven assists, two rebounds and one steal.
Megan Gustafson stats today
Megan Gustafson has 15 points in 23:11 minutes on the court, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 1-of-3 from the 3-point line. Gustafson also has two rebounds and one assist.
Kahleah Copper hits back-to-back shots
Kahleah Copper went on a 5-0 run by herself in the third quarter. She made a driving layup to the basket and knocked down a 3-pointer on the next possession to extend Team USA's lead over Spain to 51-34 with 7:48 left in the quarter. Copper is up to 12 points in the game.
Halftime: USA 44, Spain 32
Tuesday's matchup between USA and Spain was tight to start, featuring eight lead changes and three ties. But the Americans used an 11-0 run in the second quarter to build a 12-point lead at halftime, marking the largest of the game.
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Kelsey Plum leads Team USA with 10 points, which Dearica Hamby added eight points, four rebounds and three steals. Caitlin Clark is up to five points (1-of-4 FG, 1-of-3 3PT) and four assists.
Megan Gustafson got off to a hot start and scored seven of her nine points in the frame, but she was held in check in the second quarter. Raquel Carrera added seven points for Spain.
Team USA has dominated the paint (22-12) and controlled the boards (22-16) so far. The American women have taken advantage of the extra possessions and scored 10 second-chance points, compared to zero for Spain.
Spain's Awa Fam projected No. 1 overall pick in WNBA Draft
Spain's Awa Fam is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft, according to USA TODAY Sports' latest mock draft. She's showcasing why against Team USA, which is made exclusively of WNBA players. Fam has utilized her length and size — 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan — and is up to six points and five rebounds in 8:50 minutes of play.
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Caitlin Clark connects with Paige Bueckers
Caitlin Clark is dishing. Clark channeled a quarterback with a cross-court pass to Paige Bueckers for an easy layup, giving Team USA a 30-23 lead with 6:39 remaining in the second quarter.
Kelsey Plum cooking for Team USA
The first quarter belonged to Dearica Hamby for Team USA, while the second quarter has belonged to Kelsey Plum. Plum has scored eight of her 10 points in the quarter as 4:39 remain in the first half as Team USA leads Spain 36-26.
End of Q1: USA 21, Spain 16
Team USA has a five-point lead over Spain following a back-and-forth contest against Spain. The bigs dominated early, with both teams trading buckets. Former National Player of the Year Megan Gustafson, who like Caitlin Clark went to Iowa, quickly tallied a game-high seven points for Spain, while Dearica Hamby has a team-high six points for USA. The Americans trailed Spain early on, but created some separation with a 7-1 run to end the first quarter.
Caitlin Clark connects with Angel Reese
Team USA closed out the first quarter with a bang after Caitlin Clark found Angel Reese under the basket for an easy layup to give them a 21-16 lead with :02 remaining.
How tall is Caitlin Clark?
Clark is listed at 6-foot.
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Caitlin Clark sinks deep 3-pointer to retake lead
Caitlin Clark gave Team USA a 19-15 lead with 1:08 remaining in the first quarter. Clark is up to five points.
Team USA trailing early against Spain
Spain leads Team USA 11-8 with 4:50 remaining in the first quarter. Megan Gustafson, who plays for the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces alongside Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young , has scored seven of Spain's 11 points so far.
Caitlin Clark checks in
We're underway at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Nate Tibbetts, who is serving as the head coach of Team USA, went to his bench early and substituted Caitlin Clark for Rhyne Howard with 6:23 remaining in the first quarter as Team USA led Spain, 8-5.
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USA vs. Spain women's basketball: TV, streaming
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Date: Tuesday, March 17
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Time: 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT)
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TV: TNT
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Stream: Sling TV , HBO Max
How to watch Team USA: Schedule
All times Eastern
| March 17 |
Spain vs. USA |
5 p.m. |
TNT, DIRECTV, HBO Max |
USA women's basketball schedule: Results
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March 11: USA 110, 46 Senegal
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March 12: USA 91, 48 Puerto Rico
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March 14: USA 93, 59 Italy
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March 15: USA 101, 46 New Zealand
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March 17:Spain vs. USA | 5 p.m. (TNT, DIRECTV, HBO Max)
Team USA starting lineup
Team USA went with a veteran lineup to start Tuesday's game. Dearica Hamby, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Rhyne Howard and Jackie Young are the first five on the court.
Spain's starting lineup
Mariona Ortiz, Maite Cazorla, Helena Pueyo, Raquel Carrera and Megan Gustafson are the starters for Spain.
Team USA takes court
Team USA Women's World Cup Qualifying 2026 - Team Roster
Below are the players selected to represent the USA at the upcoming FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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(4) Paige Bueckers
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(5) Kelsey Plum
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(6) Dearica Hamby
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(7) Kahleah Copper
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(8) Chelsea Gray
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(9) Angel Reese
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(10) Rhyne Howard
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(11) Rae Burrell
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(12) Caitlin Clark
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(13) Jackie Young
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(14) Monique Billings
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(15) Kiki Iriafen
Team Spain Women's World Cup Qualifying 2026 - Team Roster
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(2) Elena Buenavida - Guard
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(4) Mariona Ortiz - Point Guard
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(5) Maite Cazorla - Point Guard
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(6) Aina Ayuso - Guard
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(8) Maria Araujo - Power Forward
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(9) Helena Pueyo - Small Forward
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(10) Maria Conde - Small Forward
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(11) Awa Fam - Center
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(14) Raquel Carrera - Center
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(17) Megan Gustafson - Center
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(20) Paula Ginzo - Center
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(44) Iyana Martin - Point Guard
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kahleah Copper leads USA to win over Spain, perfect record: Highlights
