# One win from history, on a weekend that hurts

> Kara Lawson's Team USA reached the World Cup final the day after the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and she wants the title to mean something bigger.
- Title: One win from history, on a weekend that hurts · OutKick
- Summary: Kara Lawson's Team USA reached the World Cup final the day after the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and she wants the title to mean something bigger. Lawson sees…
- Keywords: basketball, team usa, fiba world cup, kara lawson, 9/11, news, politics, One, win, history, weekend, hurts
- Source: OutKick — https://foxnews.com/outkick-sports/us-coach-kara-lawson-opens-importance-winning-world-cup-final-country-911-anniversary-weekend
- Author: Jackson Thompson
- Published: 2026-09-12T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: basketball, team usa, fiba world cup, kara lawson, 9/11, news, politics
## A win with weight behind it
Team USA beat Spain 76-66 in Berlin to reach the FIBA Women's World Cup final, one day after the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
## She felt America in Europe
Lawson has been with USA Basketball since she was 17. She said the country's presence reached her in Berlin, especially on the anniversary itself.

> I don't know if there's anyone prouder to represent the U.S. than I am in this capacity.
## Not just one day
The 2001 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, at the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Lawson called it a memory the team carries past the ceremonies.

> It would mean a ton to win a World Cup for our country.
## Unity beyond the sport
Women's basketball has had loud rivalries and splits lately. Lawson said the team's reach goes wider than that, into the country itself.

> People being proud about how we play and how we represent the red, white and blue.
## A long climb to this bench
Lawson won Olympic gold as a player in Beijing in 2008, coached the first 3x3 gold in Tokyo, and assisted on the 2024 Paris gold team. She now leads the U.S. through the 2028 LA Games.
## Spain nearly had them
The semifinal was tied 58-58 after three quarters. The U.S. held Spain to eight points in the fourth and closed on a 12-2 run.
## Thirty-five straight
Breanna Stewart scored 16, Kahleah Copper 13, Jackie Young 12. The Americans have not lost a World Cup game since Russia beat them in the 2006 semifinals.
## France, again
Sunday is a rematch of the Paris gold-medal game the U.S. survived 67-66, when Gabby Williams tied it from a foot inside the arc. France is undefeated and ranked above the U.S.
## Bueckers leans on faith
Asked what has carried her through the tournament, guard Paige Bueckers pointed to her Christian beliefs, the same ones she has talked about since college.

> It's been my rock, my foundation. So, I take that with me wherever I go.
## Key takeaway

Lawson sees a fifth straight World Cup title as something she can hand back to a country that spent the weekend remembering 9/11.