On the weekend marking the 25th anniversary of September 11, Team USA's women's basketball team carried the weight of national memory into a World Cup semifinal in Berlin, defeating Spain 76-66 to extend a 35-game winning streak. Coach Kara Lawson, who has grown up within USA Basketball from teenage player to head coach, spoke of the tournament as something larger than sport — a chance to offer a fractured country a moment of shared pride. Sunday's final against France, a rematch of a breathtaking Olympic gold-medal game, will determine whether that hope finds its fullest expression.
Lawson: Women's Basketball World Cup Win Would Unite Country on 9/11 Weekend
We're proud to be Americans, and we're proud to represent USA.
Mark
So Lawson is explicitly connecting a basketball championship to national unity around 9/11. That's a pretty big claim. What's actually behind that?
Mimi
She's not saying basketball heals the country. She's saying that a moment of collective pride—Americans watching their team win on that particular weekend—can be a shared experience when the country is remembering something difficult. It's about what sports can do in that space.
Luke
But we should be careful here. Lawson said it would mean a lot to win, and she talked about unity. The source doesn't show us whether the team actually believes this will unite the country, or whether this is Lawson's personal framing of why the game matters to her.
Mark
Fair point. So what actually happened on the court?
Mimi
They beat Spain 76-66. Spain tied it at 58 going into the fourth quarter, but the U.S. defense shut down—held Spain to eight points in the final period and ran a 12-2 run to win it. It was a controlled performance when it mattered.
Luke
And that extends their streak to 35 games without a loss in World Cup play. That's the actual news—the dominance. The 9/11 framing is Lawson's interpretation of what the moment means.
Mark
Who are they playing next?
Mimi
France. It's a rematch of the 2024 Olympic final, which the U.S. won 67-66 on a shot so close that France's player had her foot on the 3-point line when she made it. France is undefeated in this tournament and actually ranked ahead of the U.S. going in.
Luke
So it's genuinely competitive. This isn't a coronation. The U.S. is chasing their fifth straight World Cup title, but France is a real threat.
Mark
And Bueckers brought up her faith. Is that part of the team's unity message too?
Mimi
She was asked directly about it, and she said her faith is her foundation. It's personal to her, not necessarily a team narrative. But it does show how different players are processing the moment—through different lenses.
Luke
Right. We have Lawson's framing about national unity, and Bueckers' personal faith. Those are two different things. The source gives us both, but they're not the same story.
Der Puls
- The 25th anniversary of 9/11 cast an emotional shadow over the weekend, with Coach Lawson describing the date as a weight the team carries not just for a day, but throughout their time together.
- Spain pushed the Americans to a 58-58 tie entering the fourth quarter, threatening to end one of the longest winning streaks in international basketball.
- The U.S. defense locked down in the final period, holding Spain to just eight points and closing the game on a decisive 12-2 run, with Stewart, Copper, and Young leading the scoring.
- France — undefeated in group play and ranked ahead of the U.S. in FIBA's final power rankings — awaits in Sunday's final, bringing memories of a one-point Olympic thriller decided by a foot on a three-point line.
- Lawson framed a potential championship not as a basketball achievement alone, but as an act of national unity — a chance to remind a divided country what it looks like to compete together under one flag.
On the weekend marking the 25th anniversary of September 11, Team USA's women's basketball team carried the weight of national memory into a World Cup semifinal in Berlin, defeating Spain 76-66 to extend a 35-game winning streak. Coach Kara Lawson, who has grown up within USA Basketball from teenage player to head coach, spoke of the tournament as something larger than sport — a chance to offer a fractured country a moment of shared pride. Sunday's final against France, a rematch of a breathtaking Olympic gold-medal game, will determine whether that hope finds its fullest expression.
Team USA's women's basketball team entered the FIBA World Cup final in Berlin carrying something heavier than a tournament bracket. One day after the 25th anniversary of September 11, the Americans defeated Spain 76-66 in the semifinals, stretching their World Cup winning streak to 35 games. Coach Kara Lawson — who has been part of USA Basketball since she was seventeen, first as an Olympic gold medalist and now as the program's head coach — spoke about what a championship could mean beyond the sport itself. She described the anniversary as a weight that doesn't lift after a single day, and said she felt the pull of American pride even while competing on European soil.
The semifinal required a fourth-quarter answer. Spain tied the game at 58, but the U.S. defense responded with force, holding Spain to just eight points in the final period and pulling away on a 12-2 run. Breanna Stewart led with 16 points, Kahleah Copper added 13, and Jackie Young contributed 12. The Americans have not lost a World Cup game since 2006.
Sunday's final is a rematch of the 2024 Olympic gold-medal game in Paris — a contest the U.S. won 67-66 after France's Gabby Williams made a shot with her foot on the three-point line as time expired. France enters this final undefeated and ranked ahead of the Americans in FIBA's closing power rankings. It will be France's first World Cup final appearance; the U.S. is chasing its fifth consecutive title and twelfth overall.
For guard Paige Bueckers, the tournament has been anchored in her Christian faith, which she described as her rock and foundation throughout the competition. For Lawson, the goal was larger still — a championship that might reach beyond the basketball community and offer something to a country that has known its own divisions. The red, white, and blue, she suggested, belongs to everyone.
Team USA's women's basketball team arrived at the FIBA World Cup final in Berlin carrying more than the weight of a tournament. On Saturday, one day after the 25th anniversary of September 11, the Americans defeated Spain 76-66 in the semifinals, extending their World Cup winning streak to 35 consecutive games. The timing was not lost on anyone in the locker room.
Coach Kara Lawson, who has represented USA Basketball since she was seventeen years old—first as a player, winning Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008, and now as the head coach selected to lead the program through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics—spoke about what a championship would mean beyond the sport itself. She described feeling the presence of American pride even while competing in Europe, and acknowledged that the 9/11 anniversary, which killed nearly 3,000 people across New York City, the Pentagon, and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, had cast a particular weight over the weekend. Lawson called it a powerful memory that stays with the team not just on that single day, but throughout their time together.
The semifinal itself was tightly contested. Spain tied the game at 58 entering the fourth quarter, but the U.S. defense tightened dramatically. The Americans held Spain to just eight points in the final period and executed a 12-2 run to pull away. Breanna Stewart led the team with 16 points. Kahleah Copper contributed 13, and Jackie Young added 12. The victory was the latest in a streak that has defined American dominance in the tournament—the U.S. has not lost a World Cup game since falling to Russia in the 2006 semifinals.
Lawson spoke about the broader significance of what a World Cup title could represent. She emphasized that unity was not something confined to women's basketball, but something the team hoped to create across the entire country. "People being proud about how we play and how we represent the red, white and blue," she said, describing the team's potential influence beyond the sport. She acknowledged that the women's basketball community had experienced its own divisions and rivalries in recent years, but suggested that a championship run could transcend those boundaries.
The path to that championship runs through France. The Americans will face the French in Sunday's final—a rematch of the 2024 Olympic gold-medal game in Paris, which the U.S. won 67-66 in a contest so close that France's Gabby Williams made a shot with her foot on the 3-point line as time expired. France entered the World Cup undefeated and moved ahead of the U.S. in FIBA's final power rankings after group play. This will be France's first World Cup final appearance. The Americans are pursuing their fifth consecutive World Cup championship and their 12th overall.
For guard Paige Bueckers, who has spoken openly about her Christian faith throughout her college and professional career, the tournament has been grounded in that foundation. When asked about the importance of her relationship with Jesus Christ during the competition, Bueckers described her faith as her rock and her foundation—something she carries with her wherever she goes. The combination of personal conviction, national pride, and the weight of the moment seemed to define how the team was approaching the final stretch of the tournament.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
It would mean a ton to win a World Cup for our country. We're proud to be Americans, and we're proud to represent USA.— Coach Kara Lawson
My faith has always been important to me. It's carried me through life. It's been my rock, my foundation.— Guard Paige Bueckers, on her Christian faith during the tournament
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