Caitlin Clark’s spectacular pass to Angel Reese sends strong Team USA message

Caitlin Clark’s spectacular pass to Angel Reese sends strong Team USA message originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese spent years being presented as rivals. On Friday, they combined to create one of the best highlights of Team USA’s FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup opener.

Late in the fourth quarter of the Americans’ 94-61 victory over China, Clark used a between-the-legs crossover to create separation from her defender. She then delivered a precise one-handed pass to Reese underneath the basket.

Reese collected the pass and finished through contact with 1:04 remaining, extending Team USA’s lead to 92-59.

The Clark-to-Reese connection was more than another basket in a game that had already been decided. It gave fans a glimpse of what two of the most recognizable players in women’s basketball can accomplish when playing together.

It also secured Clark’s double-double.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese turn rivalry into partnership

Clark finished her World Cup debut with 14 points, 11 assists and three rebounds in 25 minutes. Reese contributed five points and a team-high nine rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.

Caitlin Clark finds Angel Reese to notch the double double pic.twitter.com/9ivo3r7mfA

— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) September 4, 2026

Their shared history made the play impossible to ignore.

Clark and Reese were the central figures in two memorable Iowa-LSU NCAA Tournament games before entering the WNBA together in 2024. Their professional careers continued to be compared as they competed for individual honors and helped bring unprecedented attention to the league.

Team USA has given them an opportunity to replace that familiar rivalry narrative with something more compelling.

Clark’s vision and Reese’s ability to create position around the basket make them natural offensive partners. Clark can deliver passes into narrow windows, while Reese consistently creates extra possessions and scoring chances through her movement and rebounding. Friday’s highlight showed that chemistry developing in a meaningful game.

Clark manipulated the defense before delivering the pass with her right hand. Reese recognized the opening, slipped into position and completed the play without hesitation. It looked less like an experiment involving two new teammates and more like a connection that had already been developed over an entire season.

MORE: Team USA announces Caitlin Clark news after historic World Cup debut

Team USA’s depth overwhelms China

The play also represented the larger problem facing Team USA’s opponents. Clark and Reese both came off the bench against China. So did Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu.

The Americans can replace one collection of WNBA stars with another without losing creativity, rebounding or scoring. All 12 players scored Friday, while Clark, Paige Bueckers and Rhyne Howard shared the team lead with 14 points apiece.

Clark was named Team USA’s Player of the Game after recording the most assists by an American in a Women’s World Cup debut. FIBA also reported that she became the first player in tournament history to finish with at least 10 assists and no turnovers.

Her 10th assist may receive the most attention because of the teammate who finished it, but Clark added another before the final buzzer. Team USA will face Italy on Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET before completing Group D play against Czechia on Monday. There will be more difficult challenges ahead. There also could be many more Clark-to-Reese highlights.

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