If Team USA is going to retain their FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup title, they’ll definitely have to do better than the rather abysmal performance they produced against Italy in their second game. They narrowly escaped with a 55-52 victory on Sunday, a performance that was characterized by their abysmal shooting effort. And while they’ve had little time to dwell on that performance, France just provided another reason for the team to take notice.
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The French put on a historic shooting display in their last group-stage game against Nigeria on Monday, setting an all-time FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup record with 22 three-pointers. With the uncharacteristically poor offensive showing that Team USA produced in that Italy game, there’s only one message WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita had for the Americans. And that is to lock in.
“USA better lock tf in…,” DeMita wrote, reacting to a post on X, highlighting France’s record-setting three-point shooting performance in that Nigeria game.
France’s lethal long-range shooting powered them to a comprehensive 111-56 victory over D’Tigress. And their 22 shots from beyond the arc broke the previous Women’s World Cup single-game record of 20, which the Japanese team set just three days prior in their 102-97 comeback victory over Mali on Friday.
Now, this isn’t just a one-and-done performance for the French, as they have displayed elite shooting volume and historical efficiency during their 3-0 sweep of Group B. In their first group-stage game against Hungary, which ended in a 99-53 win, they made 15 three-pointers at a 42.9% efficiency, alongside their 52.2% field-goal percentage. In their next, another commanding 99-65 win over Korea, they also made 12 three-pointers at 46% accuracy, alongside a 61.4% field-goal percentage.
They have now demonstrated the same level of offensive firepower in their final group-stage game, completing a 111-56 rout of Nigeria. And perhaps the most concerning part is that their shooting seemed to get even better, as they completed those 22 three-pointers on a remarkable 55% accuracy, alongside a 58.2% field-goal percentage.
Just to provide some context, this French side pushed Team USA to the edge in a thrilling 67-66 gold-medal game at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In fact, in that game, Gabby Williams had her last-second shot fall just short of forcing overtime, as it counted as a two-pointer rather than her intended three at the buzzer because her foot was on the line. The same Gabby Williams was, in fact, among France’s most efficient shooters in this Nigerian rout, hitting 6-of-8, or 75%, from deep, alongside 8-of-12 from the field overall and a 100% 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
While Team USA was indeed impressive and efficient in their opening game, defeating China 94-61, what seems to be the cause for alarm now is their rather dreadful performance against Italy in their second game. They missed 11 of their 12 three-point attempts and shot a miserable 29% from the floor. It was the exact opposite of their opening game and, in fact, one of Team USA’s worst shooting struggles in recent history.
Of course, there’s a case to be made that the caliber of opponent that Italy was cannot be compared in terms of quality to any of the three teams that France have faced in their group stage. However, with the quality, pedigree, and history that Team USA has, especially in this tournament, that showing against Italy was incredibly below any standard of a bad Team USA game that anyone would have imagined.
Their last group-stage game against Czechia now presents an opportunity to correct any lingering issues and build the needed offensive confidence for the rest of the tournament. As Rachel DeMita said, they really have to lock in. And hopefully, they will do just that.