Team USA commenced its FIBA World Cup qualifiers campaign in Puerto Rico with a dominant 110-46 victory over Senegal on Wednesday. This game marked a significant occasion, featuring the highly anticipated senior national team debuts of six players, notably including the 2024 and 2025 WNBA No. 1 picks, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, alongside the 2024 No. 7 pick, Angel Reese. These newcomers joined seasoned national team members such as Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young, as the United States, already qualified for the World Cup in Germany in September, utilized these games to foster team chemistry and integrate first-time coach Kara Lawson's strategic approach.

Coach Lawson emphasized her intent to experiment with lineups, making it clear that the rotation and starting five used against Senegal were not fixed. She deployed a veteran starting five for the opener, featuring 2024 Olympic gold medalists Gray, Kahleah Copper, and Young. Dearica Hamby started in the frontcourt alongside Angel Reese, addressing a slightly shallower frontcourt depth due to Aliyah Boston's absence from a right leg injury. Lawson highlighted the impact of her second unit, which included Clark, Rhyne Howard, Plum, Kiki Iriafen, and Monique Billings, crediting them with providing a crucial offensive spark. This group entered midway through the first quarter, replacing all five starters, demonstrating Lawson's strategy of leveraging the team's extensive depth to create separation in the game.

The debuts of the first-time national team members were particularly impactful. Beyond Bueckers, Clark, and Reese, Monique Billings, Kiki Iriafen, and Rae Burrell also made their first appearances. Coach Lawson praised their performances, noting that they played with an appropriate level of respect for the game and showed no signs of being debutantes. Caitlin Clark and Monique Billings had especially notable debuts; Clark finished with 17 points and 12 assists, while Billings contributed 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and five rebounds, both playing 19 minutes. Reese, the only rookie to start, recorded six points and eight rebounds in 16 minutes. Bueckers added nine points, four rebounds, and three assists in 14 minutes. A glimpse into the future of USA Basketball occurred in the third quarter when Clark, Reese, and Bueckers, three of the WNBA's brightest young stars, shared the court for the first time.

A perennial question for Team USA is team chemistry, given that players typically do not spend extended periods together, unlike many other national teams. However, for this roster, 11 of the 12 players had recently competed together at Unrivaled, an experience believed to have accelerated their ability to gel quickly. Coach Lawson observed existing synergy, remarking, "Yes, for this group it's their first time playing together [but] they've played together in different ways, in the WNBA, or in USA or Unrivaled." This prior engagement seemed to manifest in their first game under Lawson, as the team exhibited good flow, assisting on 28 of their 34 field goals and committing only 13 turnovers. Lawson, who assumed the Team USA coaching role in September 2025, will lead for the first two games of the qualifying tournament before returning to Duke for Selection Sunday, with the team focusing on continuous growth rather than just the scoreboard.