U.S. women’s basketball team wins FIBA World Cup opener missing players

SYDNEY — It’s been a whirlwind week for Alyssa Thomas.

She went from losing in the WNBA Finals on Sunday to flying 10,000 miles to Australia a day later to play for the United States in the World Cup. Thomas had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in her debut for the Americans, who beat Belgium 87-72 in the tournament opener on Thursday.

After finding out she’d be on the U.S. roster, she never gave any thought to skipping the World Cup.

“Excited to be a part of this, been waiting a long time,” the 30-year-old Thomas said.

U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve was impressed with what Thomas was able to do with the short turnaround time.

“It’s what I expected Alyssa to do, as it’s just what she does. She’s a competitor and knows how to (play),” Reeve said. “WNBA players don’t get enough credit for how well that they transition from overseas play to WNBA play to national team play.”

Breanna Stewart scored 22 points and Jewell Loyd also scored 14 for the short-handed U.S. team, which was still missing Las Vegas Aces players A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum. They were on their way to Australia after celebrating the franchise’s first WNBA championship with a parade on Tuesday. The trio is expected to be in Sydney on Friday.

MORE: FIBA Women’s World Cup Schedule, Results

Thomas and her UConn teammate Brionna Jones, who also arrived on Wednesday, were two of six players on the roster who hadn’t played for the U.S. in either the World Cup or Olympics.

This team is very different from the one that won a third straight gold in Spain in 2018. Sue Bird is retired, and Diana Taurasi is out after suffering a WNBA season-ending injury. Brittney Griner, who would have been on this team, is in a Russian jail after being convicted of