Kara Lawson Credits Caitlin Clark's Team USA Impact After World Cup Win vs France

Several of Team USA's young players made a major impact during the team's 97-79 victory against France in the FIBA World Cup gold medal game on Sunday.

Caitlin Clark had the best performance of them all, scoring 12 points and three assists in 13 minutes played. She also had a huge three-pointer right before halftime, cutting what had once been a double-digit lead for France to just two points heading into the locker room. This had a clear impact on Team USA's momentum, which they carried into a dominant second-half.

USA head coach Kara Lawson spoke to the media after Sunday's game and was asked about putting Clark and Angel Reese (who had a great defensive possession right before Clark's three) in at the end of the second quarter.

"We had such a resilient mindset [in the second quarter]... Big momentum-changing three from [Caitlin] right before halftime. We just felt it at halftime. We really did. We feltl ike we could push the gas pedal down to the floor and get away from them," Lawson said, per FIBA's YouTube channel.

She was asked about the impact that the USA's young players had throughout the tournament and said, "Our young players, I think, just had a fantastic learning experience... I just saw [the young players] picking things up quickly; they have high intelligence, they're highly skilled, they're very competitive. They really wanted to contribute to this team, and help us win. And they knew we needed them.

"I'm so proud of their performances tonight, in the biggest of moments. The plays that Caitlin made, the plays that Rhyne Howard made, the plays that Angel Reese made. I mean, Aliyah Boston — how great was she last night and tonight?" Lawson added.

Caitlin Clark walks during a FIBA World Cup game. | IMAGO / NurPhoto

Caitlin Clark Proved Her Place For Huge Future Team USA Role

It was no surprise that Clark was able to be impactful for Team USA throughout the World Cup, despite being on such a talented roster.

It's also no surprise that Clark is going to continue to be a key piece for future Team USA rosters in big international tournaments, most notably in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Clark came off the bench in favor of Las Vegas Aces point guard Chelsea Gray at this year's World Cup. However, one would imagine that the Fever star will have done enough to be Team USA's starter once those Olympics arrive.

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