By admin 
The U.S. women’s basketball team rampaged against Hungary, 108-56, in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIBA World Cup last Thursday in Germany. Napheesa Collier led the way with 19 points in just 15 minutes of action. But more than any individual performance, it was the Americans’ 31 assists during the game that stood out.
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Surprisingly, a handful of those assists were produced by the unlikely duo of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Clark kept rewarding Reese for running the floor hard and had one beautiful pick-and-roll play with her college and WNBA rival. Meanwhile, Reese anchored a fast break in the second half and then dished off to a running Clark for an easy layup.
The two played like they’ve been playing together for years, which you could argue is the case, but just not on the same team.
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve played against each other so many times. So I’m sure we know each other’s game. Like the back of each other’s hand. So I just easily dished it off to her. She dished it off to me. She knows my slides. I kind of got one to her today or maybe two. So it’s fun. We just continue to build chemistry because we know we’re going to be USA teammates for a while.” she said.
“We know we’re gonna be USA teammates for a while.” 🇺🇸🤝
Angel talked her and Caitlin’s growing chemistry at the #FIBAWWC with @ALaForce 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5sEQ9ScPcs
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) September 10, 2026
Rivals since their AAU days
Most know Caitlin and Angel as WNBA rivals. Some have followed them since their college days, when Angel’s LSU squad beat Caitlin’s Iowa team in the 2023 title game and when Clark got revenge when the Hawkeyes defeated the Tigers in the Elite Eight one year later. But these girls go way further back.
The two were already competing against each other during their prep years, with Caitlin’s Iowa Attack and Angel’s Team Takeover crossing paths in the AAU circuit in the Midwest, including the 2019 Nike EYBL championship game, where Reese put up a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Clark scored 22 points with seven assists.
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Curiously, those are the types of numbers both put up in the WNBA. And in limited action last Thursday, that’s how they did it, too, in the FIBA quarterfinals, with Angel contributing 9 points and 6 rebounds in 17 minutes and Caitlin with 10 points and 9 assists. The only difference was that they did it while wearing the same uniform.
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The feeling is mutual from Caitlin
Before the Americans’ quarterfinals assignment against Hungary, Clark was also asked about her budding chemistry with Reese. And like Angel, she also mentioned that playing with her longtime on-court nemesis has been fun because they share the same competitive drive and will to win.
“We’re both fiery, fiery competitors and we want to win, and it’s one of the things I really admire about her game,” Clark said. “She’s competitive, and she has a tremendous motor, like she has one of the best motors in the league. She works just as hard as anybody on the court. So, it’s been fun to be able to play with her.”
Team USA now marches to the semifinals of the FIBA World Cup, where they will face Spain on Saturday, September 12th. Spain defeated Australia 89-66. Meanwhile, the other semifinal bracket will feature France and host Germany. If everything falls into place, the United States will face France in a rematch of the 2024 Olympic finals in the gold-medal game, which should be a treat for basketball fans.
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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 2:19 AM.