Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark power USA into World Cup semis

The pair combined for a pick-and-roll at the end of the first quarter that Reese finished with a layup. Later in the game Reese returned the favour, setting up Clark on the break for an easy basket of her own.

"She's got it for me a lot of times so it's probably finally due for me to get one to her and she easily finished it," Reese said, smiling.

Napheesa Collier led the Americans with 19 points. Clark added 10 points and 9 assists, Reese finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds. The United States are chasing a fifth straight World Cup title and will face the winner of Spain against Australia in Saturday's semi-final.

Clark pushed back on that framing after Thursday's win.

"No matter what, there's always going to be people that create those narratives and say whatever they want to say," Clark said. "There's definitely no stopping that and they're always going to be there. I think for ourselves, like I said, it's easy for us to just come in here and compete."

She described much of the coverage of their relationship as "false takes," saying she enjoys the competitiveness she shares with Reese. A semi-final on Saturday, with a fifth successive world title still within reach, will keep both of them on the same side of the ball for at least one more game.