Caitlin Clark scored 17 points and added 12 assists in her Team USA debut Wednesday, returning from an eight-month absence in a 110-46 win over Senegal.
After an injury-plagued WNBA season, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark made her long-awaited return to competition and did not disappoint.
Clark scored 17 points and 12 assists in 19 minutes as Team USA beat Senegal 110-46 in the Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament opener. She shot 4-of-5 from the field, making all four of her 3-point attempts, with that first make rattling around the rim and dropping through with 90 seconds left in the first quarter.
"I thought I was going to be anxious, but I was just excited," Clark told reporters after the game. "I've been preparing for this for a really long time. There's nothing like getting to run around out there and having fun, especially with a group of people as talented as this."
Clark, 24, last played in July, when a right groin injury ended her 2025 WNBA season after just 13 games played. A bone bruise on her left ankle followed, extending the recovery timeline. The Fever shut her down entirely in September. She spent much of her rehab away from Indiana before showing up to Team USA's training camp in December, saying she felt 100%.
She did most of her damage on Wednesday as a playmaker. After checking in midway through the first quarter, she dished out three assists on three consecutive possessions — a bounce pass to Monique Billings for a lay-in, a chest pass to Kelsey Plum for a catch-and-shoot 3, then another bounce pass to Billings in transition. Her 12 assists set a USA record for most in a World Cup Qualifying game, surpassing the eight Chelsea Gray had against Belgium in 2022.
Head coach Kara Lawson explained that Clark did a masterful job of not only providing a scoring punch but also leveraging her all-around game and finding her teammates as a passer.
"She brings this dynamic play to the offensive end," Lawson said. "As much as she is a dynamic scorer, she's one of the most dynamic playmakers in the world as well. I thought she toggled between playmaking and scoring really well."
Clark said she wanted to push the pace, even if it wore her out early, as she works her way back into form.
"I know that's what I can bring to this team: the tempo and the pace," she said.
Rhyne Howard led all scorers with 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting, going 6-of-8 from 3-point range — the most points scored by an American in World Cup Qualifying history. The U.S. shot 70% from the field in the first half and built a 59-19 lead at intermission, with the game effectively put away during a 15-0 run in the first quarter. Team USA finished with 31 assists as a unit, also a World Cup Qualifying record.
Last season, Clark averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 8.8 assists across just 13 games — down from the 40-game rookie campaign in 2024, where she averaged 19.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 8.4 assists while winning Rookie of the Year and earning All-WNBA First Team honors. Over her two professional seasons combined, Clark has averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game. With Team USA, Clark gets the chance to build rhythm before her third WNBA season and bounce back from an injury-plagued campaign.
Team USA has already clinched a spot in the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup, set for September in Berlin, by winning the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup. Four games remain in the qualifying tournament, which runs through March 17. Up next is Puerto Rico on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
"More than anything, it makes me happy that I'm super sweaty right now and I got to play basketball," Clark said.