The game against Italy is perhaps the only blemish in what would have otherwise been a perfect run for Team USA in this FIBA Basketball World Cup. Of course, they won the game, grinding out a 55-52 victory, but it was not the kind of performance anyone would have expected from the defending champions. Starter Chelsea Gray didn’t feel any different.

In an interview with The Pull Up, a video of which was shared on the Team USA YouTube channel, Gray addressed the game ahead of their semifinal with Spain.

“We had a little test against Italy. But I think it also went back to, if you’re not hitting shots, our defense, and that’s been a constant. And just playing hard, playing together, and that’s been our mindset.”

The game against Italy was the poorest performance from Team USA in over four decades, especially on the offensive end of the floor. They managed to shoot just 29% from the field and an abysmal 8% from three-point range, making just one 3-pointer. In fact, their 55-point total was a 42-year low, marking the fewest points Team USA has scored in 42 years.

The offense completely stalled by Italy’s perimeter length and 2-3 zone defense; Team USA survived almost entirely on the defensive end. They were able to hold Italy to just 31% shooting from the field, as the Italians went 18-for-58, while completely locking down the perimeter and limiting them to just 2-of-15 shooting from three-point range, good for 13.3%.

“Our defense has to be consistent. Everybody’s not trying to miss shots, right? Basketball. Like, everybody wants to make their shots, but what do you fall back on? It’s defense and rebounding. We saw that we can buckle down and hold teams under their average. So that’s what we really wanted to focus on.”

“We didn’t play as well as we wanted to as a group. Like, it didn’t feel great, even though we got the win versus Italy. But a bright spot was that we’re able to execute at the end of games, and then defensively we’re able to get stops when we needed.”

Thankfully, they were also able to protect the rim fiercely, recording five blocks and forcing 18 Italian turnovers. Led by Breanna Stewart’s game-high 11 rebounds, which was a personal World Cup career high, Team USA also heavily relied on second-chance opportunities and defensive boards to control possessions.

Regardless, whatever defensive effort the team put forth, it still doesn’t justify the lackluster nature of the performance they had. Gray’s assessment echoed what coach Kara Lawson had said in the post-game conference.

Lawson explained that while it felt good to be tested, it also exposed weaknesses that Team USA needed to fix. Later in the locker room, Lawson made sure to point that out in her passionate locker room address to the team.

“Let this be the last time that a team plays with more passion than us throughout the course of the game. Let this be the last time that all 12 don’t show up to compete at a high level.”

“And let this be the last time that we lack a resilient mindset because we’re so upset that we’re not scoring the way we’re normally scoring. Your contribution has to be your passion, your energy, your intensity that you play with.”

As it appears, that scare against Italy is looking like the last of such performances in this tournament, as the team has responded with quite dominant wins in its subsequent games. They delivered a 105-64 victory against Czechia in their third and final group-stage game. And in the quarterfinal game against Hungary, they came out with a commanding 108-56 victory.

Up next is Spain in the semifinal game. Team USA will be looking to keep up that momentum and avoid a repeat of that Italy scare at all costs. Hopefully, all 12 players show up at their best, and they eventually advance to the final, where they’ll take on France for the gold.