Team USA got all it could handle from Italy in Sunday’s FIBA Women’s World Cup game.
The Stars and Stripes jumped out to a 19-8 lead by the end of the first quarter and held on to win by a score of 55-52, though the contest wasn’t without its fair share of lead changes and controversies.
Italy led by three midway through the fourth quarter and even had a chance to tie the game on the final shot where an Italian player looked like she may have been fouled.
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But the game-tying attempt sailed to the left of the rim and landed harmlessly into the arms of Breanna Stewart, ending the threat.
Team USA shot a putrid 1-12 from beyond the arc (8%) and only made 29% of their field goals overall, highlighting just how much work still needs to be done if this team wants to make a run at the title.
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Italy’s Cecilia Zandalasini led all scorers with 14 points to go along with seven rebounds and was the unquestioned star in a game full of them.
For the Americans, Jackie Young led with a team-high 10 points and was the only player to shoot above 40% from the field.
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Had the Italians hung on to win, it would have been one of the most monumental upsets in FIBA Women’s World Cup history.
With the win, the U.S. women improved to 2-0 in group play and have now qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament.
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Time will tell if this group of women has what it takes to bring some hardware home from Germany, but if they don’t want to leave empty-handed, they will need their heavy hitters to step up, namely Caitlin Clark, who finished with just one point and was held without a field goal for the entire game.