00:01Welcome to the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifiers here in San Juan.
00:06You're watching USA, the defending champs, taking on Senegal here inside the El Cholo Arena.
00:12Starting lineup now.
00:14I mentioned a few players to look out for for Senegal.
00:17And they're actually going to be without their side.
00:20We'll see who they start as their starting five again.
00:23We said they've got depth and power in almost every position.
00:26You said it many times, Kelsey, for the first game.
00:30Anything is possible in basketball.
00:32So we'll have to be focused for every quarter.
00:36He's one of the main goals as a basketball player.
00:40That's what the coach wants to see from their players.
00:44And great up and under.
00:46Reset shot clock.
00:47But they had to put it up with only three seconds there.
00:50Copper fakes a shot.
00:51Gets it into the corner to Chelsea Gray for the three.
00:55Leave her open.
00:56She can make any shot.
00:57Yeah, I saw Chelsea in the warm-up.
01:00I mean, she didn't miss any single shot that she took.
01:03So I guess.
01:04Here's Chelsea Gray bringing the ball up for Team USA.
01:07Gets it over to Copper.
01:10Copper rejects the screen.
01:11Finds the opening on the left-hand side.
01:13Long and Chelsea Gray comes down with the board as she pushes ahead.
01:16USA doesn't have numbers, but they'll continue to attack.
01:19Kalia Copper off the glass.
01:21Hands it up.
01:22Over to Plum.
01:24Plum hands it right back.
01:26And Clark off the Billings screen.
01:28Gets it into Monique Billings.
01:30And that's her first bucket.
01:32They've got numbers if they push it.
01:34But Ryan Howard really slows them down.
01:36Inside to Pui.
01:37Pui against Clark.
01:39Kicks it out.
01:39Pui from the free-throw line.
01:41And that's Senegal's first field goal.
01:43In and out.
01:45Five players at a time.
01:46Hockey subs.
01:46Hockey subs.
01:49Kelsey Plum with her first bucket.
01:55Kaitlin Clark on the move.
01:58Over to Billings.
01:59Billings on the left-hand side.
02:00Off the glass.
02:03Tamera up against Howard.
02:05Tamera uses the screen.
02:07From deep.
02:08Chucks it up.
02:09And that one's good.
02:12Plum over to Howard.
02:14Howard finds herself open at the three.
02:17And there's the answer Team USA needed.
02:20As USA leads 23-7.
02:23Just under a minute and a half left to go in the first.
02:26Billings up to Clark.
02:27Clark takes her first shot.
02:29And it's a three.
02:31And it is good.
02:33That is Kaitlin Clark.
02:34Seven points.
02:35And she's had two additional buckets.
02:37Very, very close that she just hasn't been able to make.
02:42Senegal gets another one.
02:44Levin De'Ericka Hamby cleans up the glass.
02:46And it's Angel Reese streaking down the middle of the floor.
02:49She likes what she sees.
02:50Ahead takes it coast.
02:54Beckers takes the three.
02:56That one just off the mark.
02:58Hank Hamby battling two players to get that one.
03:01And Angel Reese comes up with it.
03:02Here's Chelsea Gray now.
03:04Attacking.
03:05Dishes off to Hamby down low.
03:09Gray, the backwards pass to Jackie Young.
03:11And they capitalize.
03:13So a few years ago, at least when I played, which makes me sound a little bit old.
03:18But if you were going to transfer, you would have to sit out a year.
03:20The transfer portal now allows you to enter the portal.
03:24Not sit out.
03:24Angel Reese says one and done for you, Senegal.
03:28Showing her point guard skills right now going up the court.
03:30D'Ericka Hamby over to Beckers.
03:33Beckers likes the opening a long two.
03:35Here enjoying this basketball tournament, high-level basketball.
03:41Ryan Howard back to Clark.
03:43Clark into Erefin and Erefin off the glass.
03:46Energetic player on that play who scored an easy bucket.
03:51The five-in, five-out substitution pattern, Danilo.
03:54What does that say about the depth of this team?
03:57Here's Clark once again.
03:59She's got eight points.
04:02She wanted to pull up for three, but going to share it with Ryan Howard, who puts up a three.
04:07They're finding the open player every single time.
04:10Team USA running right now.
04:12And there she is again.
04:13The connection between Clark and Howard.
04:16Could have been back-to-back assists in buckets, but off the mark, Kelsey Plum spots up for a three.
04:22Started closely by Tamara.
04:26Comes off the screen from Erefin, kicks it over to Clark.
04:29Clark behind the back crossover, finds Ryan Howard.
04:32Howard for three.
04:34Going behind the back, beating the defender and finding the right player.
04:41Clark over to Billings.
04:43And Clark.
04:44Ryan Howard open for, and of course, Howard able to connect from deep.
04:50Here's Howard again.
04:51Doesn't even think about it.
04:54Gray a little hezy over to Howard, but it's stolen by Nnedi.
04:59It can't get it to fall.
05:01It is the block by Ryan Howard.
05:03Rattles around, but rattles out.
05:05And here's Jackie Young now taking it up over to Howard.
05:09Howard gets the ball inside to D'Erika Hambin.
05:12One of those players who was in the one-on-one competition, too.
05:15So, she's got some stamina in those legs.
05:18So, I think the next shot will not be so short as Fai battles through three.
05:23More team Senegal.
05:24Jackie Young turns the corner.
05:26She goes up against four green jerseys.
05:28We talked about it earlier, how Senegal really packs the paint.
05:31Makes it hard to drive.
05:32And you can see how she has a little bit of a tough time getting that one done.
05:37There's a technical foul called on Coach Saar, the head coach of Senegal.
05:42Upset, I think, with the no call there.
05:46And he gets his first technical of the game.
05:51And his second technical of the game.
06:01Now, Coach Saar, you're getting a look at here.
06:04We mentioned him earlier, one of the most experienced figures in Senegalese basketball,
06:08coaching in FIBA tournaments like the Afro Basket that, of course, got the team here.
06:12They're a little bit of qualifiers and World Cup qualifiers, including the 2022 edition,
06:18where they faced a really tough group.
06:19He's played Team USA before.
06:21He played them back in 2022 at that World Cup qualifying tournament.
06:25And so, unfortunately, that's all we're going to see of him today,
06:30is he got back-to-back technical fouls.
06:33The scary thing in the NBA about technicals is those fines that you get.
06:39When you get those technicals and the fines are...
06:42The good thing is, the FIBA news, is that there's no fine.
06:45He's just going to sit out the rest of the game, and we'll see him back.
06:48Six minutes on the clock, and I'm guessing in one minute,
06:51we're going to see five new players from Team USA.
06:55That's just my guess.
06:56In the meantime...
06:57Looking for a guard to get it back to.
06:59Kelsey Plum knocks it away.
07:01One-on-one.
07:02Kelsey Plum in transition.
07:03Slow motion.
07:04Can't get it a fall, but D'Erika Hamley is there to clean it up.
07:07No good, but Monique Billings with the offensive rebound gives the USA another chance.
07:11It's Angel Reese makes the most of it.
07:13We played 50 games in less than five months.
07:17That's crazy.
07:2034 regular season games.
07:22We have...
07:22The 34 have come from two bigs from Senegal.
07:26Now here's Paige Beckers.
07:27Kicks it out to Monique.
07:30Be impatient.
07:31Find the right shot.
07:33Kaelin Clark's got the ball.
07:35Over to Beckers.
07:35Beckers sets up the three, and it's nothing.
07:39Gets it to Kaelin Clark.
07:40Kaelin is looking to share the ball.
07:42Comes off the screen.
07:44A nice pass into Copper.
07:45Copper up and under.
07:47And what a...
07:48The NBA special, FIBA special, basketball special in general, and why we love the fact that basketball
07:56is so global.
07:57Nidiai.
08:00Now I can't wait for her to check back in.
08:04Oh, what a pass by Ray Burrell.
08:06As the first kicks it out to Irifin.
08:08Irifin back to Ryan Howard.
08:10Ryan Howard steps in in rhythm.
08:12One of her rare misses, and Ray Burrell hustles for the offensive rebound to give USA a second
08:17opportunity.
08:18Jackie, that's the player right there who played on the court that you built while you were
08:22in Senegal, and I think that is just the coolest story that we're going to hear all
08:25week.
08:26Yes.
08:26I have a couple of good stories for you, Kelsey.
08:30Everyone shaking the rust off, and even if that rust is only a week old, because most
08:34of these players played in Unrival just last week, Ray Burrell.
08:38What an acrobatic rim.
08:40And Paige Beckers.
08:43Paige finds herself down low, kicks it out to Kaitlyn Clark.
08:46Clark puts it up, and nothing but net.
08:49Kaitlyn Clark has an opportunity to score here, but of course she looks for her teammates.
08:54Monique Billings in the corner, hands it off to Beckers, who puts it in for two.
08:59Right now getting themselves prepared for the rest of the tournament, getting themselves
09:02prepared for the World Cup that they've already qualified for, but really not letting their
09:06foot off the glass on offense or defense.
09:08Three point land in this game.
09:10So over half the threes they're making, or taking, they're making, which is dangerous.
09:15And there's a three for Team Senegal, number 32, Fatou Poui.
09:21What a shot for her.
09:25Beckers kicks it out to Burrell.
09:27Burrell!
09:28For her three assists.
09:29Seven points, excuse me.
09:31Three assists for her, and Senegal's got three seconds left.
09:34Chow.
09:35Why not?
09:37That one doesn't fall.
09:39At the end of this one, it's USA 110, Senegal 46.
09:48Both these teams, that's their first game of the tournament, and a huge debut performance
09:53by six players of Team USA, most notably Kaitlyn Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Becker.
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