One night after Caitlin Clark dazzled in her World Cup debut, the basket suddenly looked much smaller. The Indiana Fever star struggled mightily from the field against Italy. But then, it wasn’t down to only Clark’s shooting struggles. It was indeed a game of survival for Team USA, and survived they did.
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Team USA came into its second FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup game off the back of a commanding 94-61 victory over China, and judging by how that game unfolded, it did seem like it was going to be another comfortable night for the Americans. But Italy had other ideas. The Americans were forced into a tense game that stayed alive until the final seconds, only managing to escape with a narrow 55-52 win.
Caitlin Clark’s career-low shooting
One night after putting together a memorable World Cup debut against China, Caitlin Clark simply could not find the bottom of the net against Italy. The Indiana Fever star finished with just one point, going 0-for-6 from the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.
In fact, this was the first time in the Indiana star’s career that she was held to 0 field goals in a basketball game. Her only point came from the free-throw line, as Italy’s defence made life extremely difficult for her whenever she attempted to get her rhythm going.
She, however, still tried to contribute in other ways, finishing with 4 rebounds, 3 of which were defensive rebounds, 1 assist, and a steal across her 18 minutes of play. But by her own extraordinarily high standards, this will be a night she will want to put behind her quickly.
With their final group stage game against the Czech Republic on Monday, she will be hoping for a sharp and decisive return to form.
Angel Reese’s defensive start set the tone.
While Clark was searching for her shot, Angel Reese was making her presence felt in an entirely different way. The Chicago Sky forward quickly became a defensive factor from the opening tip, with her shot-blocking giving Team USA an early spark when the offence was yet to find its footing.
Reese came up with two blocks in the opening quarter alone, including one that snuffed out an Italian scoring opportunity near the basket, and added a steal before eventually getting on the scoreboard herself with a driving layup in that same first quarter.
Her contributions, however, did not stop there. Reese finished the game with eight points, three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal, a well-rounded and impactful line for a game that desperately needed contributors beyond the primary stars.
As the entire team struggled offensively, her contributions definitely counted as one of the more reliable bright spots across 40 difficult minutes that turned out to be a hard-fought game for Team USA. Her performance even earned the coach’s praise.
“What I will say about Angel is that when she gets in the game she impacts. You can see it. I think everyone in the arena can see it. She comes into the game and she plays with great energy and she cometes, she scores, she rebounds, she plays with great pace. It’s what you want in a young player, to come in and do that,” Kara Lawson told the media.
However, one of the biggest talking points of the game was how much Team USA underperformed.
Italy held Team USA to its lowest scoring total in 42 years
Going from 94 points against China in the opener to 55 in the very next game is not something anyone could have predicted. And yet that is exactly what happened.
The 55-point total was, however, not just a jarring drop from the previous game; it was Team USA’s lowest points total in 42 years, and their lowest-scoring World Cup game since 1971, meaning it had been 55 years since they scored this few points in a World Cup game.
They just couldn’t find their offensive rhythm against the Italians, shooting a difficult 29% from the field and an even more difficult 8% from three-point range. For a team that had looked so comfortable just 48 hours earlier, this was a completely different offensive challenge.
The Czech Republic game on Monday now carries added significance, not just for the standings, but for rebuilding the offensive confidence that this group will need heading into the knockout rounds.
Jackie Young’s steady hand was Team USA’s saving grace
With Team USA struggling to find the basket, Jackie Young seemed to be the only reliable offensive outlet the Americans could lean on. She ended the game with a team-high 10 points alongside four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. In fact, she was the only USA player to make more than two field goals, finishing 4-of-6 from the floor for 10 points.
USA players combined to shoot just 16-of-56 (28.6%) from the field and 1-of-12 (8.3%) three-pointers. And while Team USA did manage to get to the free-throw line, even that became a potential problem, as the Americans converted 22 of 30 attempts (73.3%). In a game decided by just three points, those missed free throws could easily have come back to haunt Team USA.
Cecilia Zandalasini continues her red-hot form for Italy
Cecilia Zandalasini once again showed why she was one of Italy’s biggest threats coming into the tournament. After leading Italy with 19 points in the opening-game victory over Czechia, she followed that up with another team-high performance against Team USA.
Zandalasini finished with a game-high 14 points alongside seven rebounds, consistently giving Italy another reliable option whenever the Americans threatened to pull away. She was not particularly efficient from the field, but her willingness to keep attacking and contribute on the glass helped Italy stay within striking distance throughout the contest.
Italy turned the game into a defensive grind
The biggest difference from Team USA’s opening game was simply how difficult Italy made everything. The Americans never really found the same offensive flow that carried them past China.
Italy forced them into a physical, low-scoring contest, and the numbers tell the story. They made only 16 of their 56 field-goal attempts and converted just one of 12 attempts from three-point range. Even with Team USA building a lead, Italy kept making the game uncomfortable.
That pressure eventually turned what many would have expected to be another routine American victory into a contest that was still very much alive in the closing minutes.
Team USA survives to extend their historic World Cup streak
It was far from the convincing performance Team USA would have wanted, but the Americans still managed to squeak out a 55-52 win over Italy and, more importantly, keep their historic World Cup winning streak alive. The victory now extends their FIBA World Cup winning streak to 32 games.
Team USA have not lost a group-stage game since 1975, while their last overall World Cup defeat came in September 2006, when Russia beat them in the semifinals of the FIBA World Championship in Brazil. Since then, they have gone completely undefeated through their championship runs in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, building one of the most remarkable winning streaks in World Cup history.
And now, after being thoroughly tested by Italy in Berlin, that streak remains intact. They will now hope to extend it further on Monday against Czechia, and will have to maintain that winning momentum for the rest of the tournament if they are eventually going to retain their World Cup crown.