Team USA got the result that it needed against Italy. However, the 55-52 win against Italy and the manner in which it was achieved have left plenty of questions behind, and for Rachel DeMita, the numbers behind the game made the narrow escape even harder to celebrate.
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DeMita, a former college basketball player at Old Dominion, addressed the narrow margin of victory in a clip posted to her Instagram account, where she accused the team of playing “horrible” in the caption, and made it clear in the video that she did not think the US should have struggled as much as they did, especially with all the factors in their favor.
“It’s hard for me to be proud of this as a USA fan, because even if I’m looking at this game objectively, the refs are on our side,” DeMita said on her Instagram post.
“Italy came out with spark, with fire, with passion… Did they play perfectly? No, they played far from perfect. Italy had 18 turnovers on the night. They had 12 in the first half, and USA only wins by three? You mean to tell me a team turns the ball over 18 times in a game and you win by three? Italy shoots 37% from the field, 37%, and USA only wins by three? Italy shoots 13% from three; they made two threes on the night and, USA wins by three?”
The Italian squad came into the game against Team USA as clear underdogs. This was the country’s first time qualifying for the World Cup since 1994, and their opponents were heavily favored, especially considering how their previous matchup just months earlier went.
The US had demolished Italy 93-59 in the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament, but their latest matchup created history for all the wrong reasons for the Americans. Their 55 points were the lowest the team has scored in a Women’s World Cup game since 1971, when they scored 51 points against France.
For DeMita, there was one point of focus that should’ve given Team USA the win: free throws and fouls.
“[Team USA were] not able to capitalize on [Italy] shooting so poorly from the field and from the three-point line, and 70% from the free-throw line,” she said. “Italy had 22 team fouls to USA’s 14. USA shot 10 more free throws than Italy did. Both teams shot 70% from the free throw line.”
That particular stat was the reason DeMita claimed that the refs were in favor of the Americans, but the team still managed to be down in the closing moments of the game, before the vets took over.
Team USA was down 48-50 with 4:29 left in the fourth quarter, but Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, and Breanna Stewart pulled off a heroic 7-0 run to end the game, though the late comeback was almost thwarted.
Italy won a jump-ball sequence, which meant that they had the ball for the final possession of the game. Cecilia Zandalasini, the team’s leading scorer, tried to shoot a three-pointer but missed. However, officiating was roped into this sequence because she claimed that Young, who was defending her, had hit her in the eye and was visibly upset that there was no call.
Regardless of them pulling out a win, American head coach Kara Lawson was just as critical of her team as DeMita was, and after the win, delivered a clear statement to the locker room in a video captured by USA Basketball.
“Let this be the last time that a team plays with more passion than throughout the course of the game,” she said.
“Let this be the last time that all 12 don’t show up to compete at a high level, and then let this be the last time that we lack that resilient mindset because we’re so upset that we’re not scoring the way we normally score.”
With the team’s next game against the Czech Republic set to tip off on September 7, Team USA will look to close out the group stage strong and hope for a strong bounce back from their entire roster.