​Caitlin Clark won a gold medal in her first World Cup on Sunday, when the United States beat France 97-79 at Berlin Arena. She finished with 12 points and 3 assists.Clark led Team USA in assists for the tournament with 32.Seven of the 12 Americans in Berlin were playing in their first global 5-on-5 championship. Four of them, Clark, Paige Bueckers, Aliyah Boston, and Rhyne Howard, are the past four WNBA Rookie of the Year winners.”Stewie’s a winner. All she ever does is win,” Clark said. “She’s been in so many of these moments, and when you have somebody like that on your team, it’s just a really comforting thing.”Breanna Stewart scored 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and handed out 4 assists in the final and was named tournament MVP. It was her fourth World Cup gold, which ties her with Sue Bird for the most in the tournament’s history.Caitlin Clark Credits Breanna Stewart’s LeadershipThe Americans beat Italy 55-52 in group play on Sept. 6. Clark did not make a field goal in that game, the first time that had happened in her college, WNBA, or Team USA career. Stewart shot 1-of-9 and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.”Stewie’s been a tremendous leader through this whole process for us,” Clark explained. “Even after we had that close game with Italy, she was somebody that was really vocal in the locker room about, ‘Don’t be flustered by this. This is normal for a World Cup. You’re going to have to kind of get it out of the mud at some points. It’s not always going to be pretty.'”Clark opened the tournament with 14 points and 11 assists against China on Sept. 4, a double-double in her World Cup debut. Against Czechia two nights after the Italy game she had 9 points and 7 assists in a 105-64 win.Through group play she averaged 6.3 assists a game, third among all players in Berlin. She shot 25% from 3-point range over those three games. She scored 1 point in the 76-66 semifinal win over Spain on Saturday. The Americans had beaten Hungary in the quarterfinals to get there.Team USA’s Young Core Produces in BerlinBueckers averaged 10.3 points through group play and led the team at 59.1% from the field. Her 3.7 assists a game ranked second on the roster behind Clark. Angel Reese averaged 8.7 points, shot 57.1%, and pulled down a team-high nine offensive rebounds over the same stretch.France led 31-17 early in the second quarter and 45-43 at halftime. The Americans outscored France 30-12 in the third quarter.Jackie Young had 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists and was named TCL Player of the Game.Clark, Bueckers, Boston, and Howard all came into Berlin without a senior World Cup appearance between them. Stewart, Young, and Kahleah Copper were the only three Americans on the roster who had played in one.Clark Finishes World Cup Debut With GoldThe United States went 6-0 and won by an average of 26 points. France came into the final having won its five games by an average of 35.6 points, with no margin closer than 22.The next World Cup is in Tokyo, from Nov.