Team USA survived its toughest Women’s FIBA World Cup test in nearly two decades, edging Italy 55-52 on Sunday after a tense finish. Jackie Young led the United States with 10 points as the team struggled to find its rhythm offensively, while Chelsea Gray delivered a crucial defensive play late in the game to help secure the victory. The result marked the lowest-scoring World Cup win for the Americans since their 42-38 victory over Australia in 1967.
Team USA Holds Off Italy in Thrilling FIBA Women’s World Cup Clash
Team USA survived a major scare against Italy on Sunday, grinding out a 55-52 victory in the FIBA Women’s World Cup. The Americans started strongly and raced into a 23-8 lead, but Italy’s switch to a 2-3 zone disrupted their offense and turned what looked like another comfortable win into a tense battle. The U.S. eventually trailed 50-48 with 4:29 remaining before responding with a decisive 7-0 run.
Breanna Stewart finally got on the scoreboard after missing her first eight shots, putting the Americans ahead 51-50. Jackie Young then added a layup after Chelsea Gray drew a crucial offensive foul with just over three minutes left. Gray followed that up with a jumper with 1:07 remaining to give the U.S. a five-point cushion, helping the Americans withstand Italy’s late push. “I thought that late charge Chelsea took was a big momentum changing play,” U.S. coach Kara Lawson said. “It was an incredible winning play by Gray there.”
Young finished with a team-high 10 points and was the only American to shoot above 40% from the field as the U.S. endured a difficult night offensively. The Americans made just 29% of their field-goal attempts and went 1-for-12 from three-point range. Despite the struggles, they held on to extend their World Cup winning streak to 32 games and improve to 2-0 in group play. “You have to be able to win different ways in this tournament because every team stylistically plays a little bit different,” Lawson said. “We didn’t have a fastball tonight, but we figured it out late and we’ll grow from it.”
Italy’s Comeback Effort Ends in Heartbreak Against Team USA
Italy refused to fold after falling behind early and used its zone defense to completely change the momentum. The Italians closed the first half on a 16-7 run to cut the deficit to 30-24, then opened the third quarter with an 11-2 burst to move ahead 35-32. They entered the final period trailing by only three before taking a 50-48 lead, putting the Americans under serious pressure. “Obviously, Italy really kind of mucked up the game for us a little bit,” Stewart said. “It made it difficult for us to score. They are a tough team. Tons of respect to what they’ve done. And, just proud of the resiliency of this group.”
Italy had one final opportunity to force overtime after Matilde Villa cut the deficit to three with less than a minute remaining. Cecilia Zandalasini, who led all scorers with 14 points and added seven rebounds, took the potential game-tying three at the buzzer, but the shot missed to the left and landed with Breanna Stewart. Zandalasini later apologized for her emotional reaction to an official after the no-call. “I would like to apologize for how I reacted in the end,” she said. “It was a lot of emotions today, but I should have kept them inside of me a little better.”
