Team USA barely escaped Italy on Sunday, coming away with a narrow 55-52 win in their second game at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, their smallest margin of victory since 1979. By their historically dominant standards, this performance was an anomaly, especially on the offensive end of the floor. However, in the middle of an otherwise frustrating offensive outing, Angel Reese appeared to be one of the few bright spots. Her minutes may have been limited, but her impact was anything but, and Team USA head coach Kara Lawson made sure to point it out after the game.

Speaking in the post-game press conference, a video of which was shared on the FIBA Media YouTube channel, Coach Lawson described Reese as a “difference maker.” She also particularly highlighted how the young forward was able to come into the game with energy and immediately make an impact.

“I thought Angel competed really hard tonight,” said Lawson. “I thought she was a difference maker for us… When she gets in the game, she impacts it; you can see it. I think everyone in the arena can see it. She comes into the game, and she plays with great energy; she competes, she scores, she rebounds, she plays with great pace. It’s what you want in a player, in a young player to come in and do that. That’s what I appreciate more about her, and she finds a way to make an impact.”

“I thought she was really good tonight in the first half for us, in helping to change the game and give us some momentum,” she added.

Just like Coach Lawson pointed out, Angel Reese was indeed one of Team USA’s most important spark plugs in the narrow win over Italy. Compared to their dominant 94-61 win over China on Friday, the heavy hitters in the starting lineup struggled mightily with their shooting. But it was Reese who provided high-energy, two-way production off the bench. She was the team’s second-highest scorer with eight points, shooting 2-of-5 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.

Reese also anchored the defense with two blocks and one steal, while pulling down three rebounds, including two crucial offensive boards. She was especially impactful in the first quarter, sparking an 8-0 run at the end alongside Paige Bueckers to give the U.S. some early breathing room. And even more impressively, she made all of these contributions in just over 14 minutes of playing time.

Of course, an eight-point, three-rebound stat line is certainly modest compared to the monster double-doubles Angel Reese regularly drops in the WNBA, but context is everything. Compared to the lackluster effort put on by the rest of Team USA’s roster, Reese’s performance wasn’t just good; it was a literal game-saver.

The U.S. shot a miserable 28.6% from the field and a horrific 1-of-12 (8%) from the three-point line. In fact, heavy-hitting veterans in the starting lineup completely stalled out, including Breanna Stewart, who shot 1-of-9 from the field. Even Caitlin Clark shot 0-of-6 from the field. In fact, Jackie Young was the only American to score in double digits, contributing a team-high 10 points alongside her four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

While the win itself was far from convincing, one positive could actually be the fact that they were able to grind out a win in a difficult game like this. To a large extent, the ability to still be able to pull out a win without crumbling under the pressure is what makes champions.

Also, the win did end up qualifying Team USA for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup quarterfinals.

However, there’s still one more group-stage game to play against Czechia on Monday, and while it’s not really an important game as they’ve already qualified, the team will be hoping to use it as a bounce-back opportunity, especially on the offensive side of the game.