Team USA survives scare from Italy, advances to World Cup quarterfinals

The United States women’s national team secured its spot in the FIBA Women’s World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday, but not before surviving the kind of test it rarely faces at this tournament, holding off Italy 55-52 in Berlin.

Jackie Young delivered six of her team-high 10 points in the fourth quarter, and Breanna Stewart — despite a difficult 1-for-9 shooting afternoon — connected on the jumper that put the Americans ahead to stay at 51-50 with 3:20 remaining. Young assisted on that basket, then added a floater on the following possession to extend the lead.

Chelsea Gray provided late breathing room with a bucket at the 1:07 mark, though Italy answered with a quick deuce to pull within three. After Gray missed on the next U.S. possession, Young tracked down the offensive rebound, allowing the Americans to run valuable time off the clock.

Italy had a chance to force overtime, but Cecilia Zandalasini’s tying 3-point attempt missed with three seconds left. She argued afterward that she was poked in the eye on the play, visibly remonstrating with officials as the buzzer sounded.

An ugly win, but a win

The Americans advanced despite remarkably inefficient offense, shooting 16 of 56 from the field (28.6%) and just 1 of 12 from beyond the arc. Free throws proved decisive: the U.S. outscored Italy 22-14 at the line.

Angel Reese chipped in eight points, while Stewart compensated for her shooting struggles with 11 rebounds. Paige Bueckers filled the stat sheet with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Caitlin Clark managed just one point on 0-for-6 shooting.

Zandalasini, a forward for the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, paced Italy with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Closest call in two decades

Per NBC Sports, the three-point margin marked the tightest World Cup game for the U.S. women in 20 years and kept intact a run without a World Cup loss dating to the 2006 semifinals — a stretch of dominance unmatched in international basketball. The near-upset underscores the growing parity in the women’s game, a trend that has helped drive record television audiences and streaming interest, including coverage on platforms operated by Comcast, whose NBCUniversal division holds major U.S. rights to premier women’s basketball properties.

The U.S. (2-0) closes Group D play Monday against the Czech Republic (0-2), while Italy (1-1) faces China (1-1). Group winners advance directly to the quarterfinals; second- and third-place teams enter a qualification round.

What to watch

• Team USA’s Group D finale against the Czech Republic on Monday, Sept. 7, and whether the Americans secure the group’s top seed.
• Italy’s matchup with China, which could determine second place and a qualification-round path.
• Whether the U.S. shooting slump — 28.6% against Italy — corrects as knockout-stage play begins.

Source: original release