Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese connection, Napheesa Collier's breakout highlight Team USA's FIBA World Cup quarterfinal win vs. Hungary

Team USA left nothing to chance in its 34th consecutive World Cup victory on Thursday in Berlin, Germany. The rout was over nearly as soon as it began in a suffocating 108-56 win over Hungary to reach the semifinals and continue the quest for a fifth consecutive World Cup gold.

The U.S. will face the winner of Spain vs. Australia, the final game of the quarterfinals to be played on Thursday. Matchups between China and France, and Belgium and Germany, are on the other side of the bracket.

The record-shattering win took the same path as those before it in this tournament. Head coach Kara Lawson rolled out her veterans to start, and finished with the young, up-and-coming crew to boost the lead further. The 108 points were the most by a team in a quarterfinal game in World Cup history, and tied for second-most in a knockout game at the World Cup.

More unreal stats are below, as well as takeaways from Team USA's statement victory.

Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese connection thriving

The on-court connection between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese sparked brighter than any other on a pre-dawn tip-off in the U.S.

Clark found Reese three times in about five minutes for buckets in the second quarter that helped pad the lead. And in the second half, Reese returned the favor, assisting Clark on a bucket off the steal.

"We've played against each other so many times, so I'm sure we know each other's game like the back of each other's hands," Reese said on the post-game broadcast interview. "It's fun. We just continue to build chemistry because we know we're going to be USA teammates for a while."

Clark's version of Team USA is a highly successful (and incredibly fun to watch) run-and-gun offense that Reese fits into well. She can run the floor and is shooting more efficiently, entering the game at 57.1% through three games. The chemistry blossoming between different iterations of Clark, Reese, Paige Bueckers and Aliyah Boston will be the future, potentially as soon as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Clark scored 10 points in a game-high 20 minutes. She had 9 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 turnovers. Reese scored nine, shooting 80% (4-5) with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers.

Their 31 assists were the most in a quarterfinal game, and the U.S. did it on 40 made baskets. No matter the lineup on the floor, the ball moved multiple times to a more wide-open shooter. They shot 59% from the floor, consisting of 52% inside the arc and 52% from outside it. The team went 12 of 23 from the perimeter, led by Rhyne Howard (3 of 5), Kahleah Copper (2 of 2), Chelsea Gray (2 of 2) and Boston (2 of 3).

The 108 points scored tied the second-most in a knockout game with the 1986 U.S. team that defeated the Soviet Union in the final. The U.S. holds the top five spots behind Brazil's total of 110 points over the U.S. in the 1994 semifinals. Every player scored, and five were in double digits. Howard scored 15, while Copper and Jackie Young chipped in 10 apiece.

The 59-30 halftime lead marked a record for first-half point totals in a quarterfinal, while Team USA's 59 points were its best after 20 minutes of any knockout game at the World Cup. The 29-point margin at the half was the largest of any previous World Cup quarterfinal game.

The final winning margin blew out that of France over Hungary. The French are favored to give the U.S. a run for the title, and moved up into the No. 1 spot in the Women's World Cup power rankings after the U.S. narrowly escaped Italy in the group stage.

Collier played the role of pace car for Team USA. She scored 10 points in the first quarter to spell a 36-12 lead and finished with a team-high 19, shooting 69% with 6 rebounds and 1 block.

Collier subbed out at the first mark for Boston, but quickly returned and ran up the score in a lineup with Boston, Clark, Young and Paige Bueckers. She took advantage of attention on Boston in the paint, hitting open layups, and utilized feeds from Clark. She and Breanna Stewart have thrived with the younger group.

The WNBA MVP runner-up only returned to 5-on-5 action in July after surgeries on both of her ankles. The World Cup is serving as a ramp-up to peak in the WNBA playoffs and potentially lead the Lynx to a record fifth WNBA championship.

Heading to Germany without four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson was a loss, but not one the U.S. couldn't absorb. There is no nation deeper in talent, and Team USA showcased it with a suffocating paint presence against Hungary's frontcourt tandem of Dorka Juhasz and Virag Takacs-Kiss.

The U.S. led in paint points, 20-0, at one point and finished the half leading 32-4. They scored more in the paint than Hungary did as they built a 59-30 halftime lead. By game's end, it was up to 52-16. The U.S. won the boards, 49-29.

Juhasz and Takacs-Kiss were each held to two points apiece and 12 combined rebounds, sharply below their three-game World Cup averages. Juhasz averaged 15.3 points, shooting 50% and a third-best 15.2 rebounds per game. She was 1 of 12 against Team USA, and her Lynx teammate, Collier. Takacs-Kiss averaged 14 points and 13.7 rebounds per game, fifth in the tournament.

It left Hungary to 28 3-point attempts, of which they made 9. Reka Lelik led Hungary with 12 points. Agnes Torok scored 11.

Will Lawson ever tweak the starting lineup?

The quarterfinal against an overmatched Hungary team presented the perfect opportunity for Lawson to tweak the starting lineup. That she didn't indicates she won't at all through the rest of this tournament.

The lineup at tip remained the national team veterans: Gray, Young, Copper, Collier and Stewart. They again set the tone for the younger, inexperienced group to run away with it. Even if Lawson has to make an early substitution — which also seems unlikely — she appears set on giving the vets the honor in a "it's working" mentality.

They went up 13-7 when Lawson subbed Boston in for Collier. Bueckers came in off the bench next for Copper, and Clark in at 4:07 for Gray with USA holding an 18-9 lead.

Lawson didn't go completely young until the 4:02 mark of the third quarter and a 78-37 lead. The vets didn't see the court again.