If you've been missing Caitlin Clark hoops, I hope you were tuned into Team USA's first game of the FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying tournament. The tournament will run through Monday, March 17, and will decide which nations will compete in the Women's World Cup in September. Team USA played its first of five games on Wednesday.
Team USA took an astonishing 110-46 victory over Senegal in their tournament debut. USA head coach Kara Lawson's starting five consisted of Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby, Angel Reese, and Jackie Young. This team is so stacked that anytime you look at the bench, you'll see it full of women's basketball's biggest stars. Imagine being down by 15+ points and seeing players like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers sub in. Especially when one of those players is making their return to basketball.
If you watched this past WNBA season, you'll remember that we didn't get to see much of Caitlin Clark. At the beginning of the season, she suffered a groin injury, and while recovering, she suffered an ankle injury. Ultimately, Clark played in a cumulative 13 games before being shut down for the season in July. So, as you can imagine, Clark was incredibly excited to get back on the court with Team USA. She told ESPN, "More than anything, it makes me super happy that I'm super sweaty right now and I got to play basketball."
Caitlin Clark didn't look rusty at all for Team USA
By the way she was playing, you wouldn't even know this was her first time back on the court in eight months. In only 19 minutes, Clark recorded 17 points and 12 assists. She was absolutely the most efficient member of Team USA. The team was plus-35 with Clark on the floor, and her efficiency rating was the highest among all players at 26.
Caitlin Clark today 🔥
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) March 11, 2026
• 17 points
• 12 ASSISTS
• 4/5 3PM
• 19 minutes played pic.twitter.com/bpc2u0gYt0
Clark's 12 assists got her a spot in the history books as well. That's the second-most assists in a game by a player in the history of the FIBA qualifying tournaments. Her playmaking abilities also gave us a first look at exactly what her role on this squad will be in upcoming competitions.
We all know Clark as a 3-point goddess. And of course, the 3s were falling yesterday — she hit 4-of-5 from beyond the arc — and they will continue to be an integral part of her Team USA identity. But even Kara Lawson shouted out Clark's facilitation. She said, "She's not just a dynamic scorer. She's one of the most dynamic playmakers in the world. She balanced playmaking and scoring really well tonight. She looked comfortable out there. I was proud of how she played in her debut."
What's even more impressive is that a lot of these players have never played together professionally. This was Clark's senior national team debut. She's never teamed up with these other Team USA members in the WNBA nor in college. They've only been in training camps together for short periods of time, and the chemistry already seems to be evolving.
You can catch more of Caitlin Clark's dominance in Team USA's second game of the qualifying tournament. They will face off against Puerto Rico tonight, Thursday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air on TruTV and HBO Max.