Caitlin Clark comments on opponent after Team USA defeats China

WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark admitted that facing Zhang Ziyu on the court was a whole new challenge for her.

Clark has been playing in the WNBA for three seasons, but she revealed it was her first time facing a tall player like Zhang from China. Zhang is a 19-year-old basketball phenom who stands at 7-foot-3, and Clark conceded the fact that it was a whole different experience.

The 6-foot guard talked about this during her post-game interview following their dominant 94-61 win over China, where she finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists with zero turnovers.

“This was a different type of basketball game that I probably ever played in my entire life,” Clark said. “I’ve never played against a woman of that size. She obviously presented some challenges for us, but you gotta give our post players a lot of credit.”

Clark gave her USA teammates Aliyah Boston, Angel Reese and Breanna Stewart their flowers for keeping Zhang in check throughout the game, limiting her to 13 points and six rebounds.

“They really battled, and Coach Kara really challenged them before the game to be physical, try to push them out of the paint,” she added. “If she makes a couple, stay resilient, stay in it. I thought Aliyah came in and gave us great minutes guarding her, and we tried to do it.”

Caitlin Clark on Zhang Ziyu, who stands at 7’3″:

“This was a different type of basketball game that I probably ever played in my entire life. I’ve never played against a woman of that size. She obviously presented some challenges for us, but you gotta give our post players a lot… https://t.co/bXA6pV83ZT

— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) September 4, 2026

Caitlin Clark shared Team USA’s counter to Zhang Ziyu’s massive height advantage

With the gigantic difference in height, Clark and the national team didn’t have a direct approach to contain Zhang in a single coverage.

Their main strategy was to deny her the ball at the post and be physical when she had the rock. Clark discussed how they turned this disadvantage to their advantage.

“I think, especially in the second half, we were able to get a few more buckets in transition, especially when she was in as well, trying to push the ball,” said the Indiana Fever star

Now that the first win is in the bag, Team USA is looking to get the job done against Italy and the Czech Republic in their last two group stage games.

A win against both countries will secure a spot in the quarterfinals and bring them closer to defending their title in the quadrennial tournament.