While many viewed Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark as fierce rivals in college and the WNBA, the two are now starring together as teammates for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup. And they've been among the young reserves to enter the games, providing a spark of energy as part of a rotation that often brings a fast-paced style and helps further establish larger Team USA leads in the games due to their basketball talents. Amid Team USA's tournament run in Berlin, Germany, Reese spoke about what it's like to play with Clark as a teammate rather than an opponent, as they do in the WNBA.
"I'm sure we know each other's game like the back of each other's hand ... We just continue to build chemistry because we know we're going to be USA teammates for a while," Reese said, per Underdog WNBA. More news: Team USA Coach Addresses Not Starting Caitlin Clark at FIBA World Cup On Thursday, Reese and Clark contributed to another big win for the United States, who routed Hungary 108-56 to advance to the FIBA World Cup semifinals.
Reese finished with a full stat line featuring nine points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. Clark nearly had a double-double, scoring 10 points and dishing out nine assists, which were part of a record 31 assists for Team USA in the game, the most any team has achieved in a FIBA World Cup quarterfinal. One of those assists came courtesy of Clark to Reese on a brilliant play where Reese set a screen near the three-point line on the Hungarian player defending Clark.
Reese then ran to the basket and received a bounce pass from Clark for the easy layup. "Those two have really enjoyed each other's company in Berlin," a commentator calling the game remarked after the play. Clark and Reese are typically opponents in the WNBA and could face each other in the postseason, depending on the matchups and how far they advance.
That said, it's clear these two have been a significant boost as teammates off the bench in a great rotation for Team USA. Head coach Kara Lawson recently said that while she might experiment with the lineups or rotations, she didn't have any current plans to change the starting lineup by starting Clark, Reese, or Bueckers. It seems with the exception of Team USA struggling against Italy, the rotations might be working just fine thanks to team chemistry for a common goal of winning the FIBA World Cup.
Read more: Caitlin Clark Gives Honest Assessment of Angel Reese as Team USA Teammate For more about the FIBA World Cup and WNBA, visit Newsweek Sports.
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