Cecilia Zandalasini could have sent the Team USA vs. Italy game to overtime had her 3-pointer connected. On Sunday, Zandalasini found herself overwhelmed by frustration as she failed to control her emotional outburst after the buzzer. However, when emotions settled, Zandalasini was the first to take responsibility for what happened on the court following the 55-52 loss to the Americans.

“I would like to apologize for how I acted in the end. Just wanted to apologize to the team and to the referee,” Zandalasini said at her postgame press conference.

“When I wear this jersey, it’s just a different beast, I guess, that comes out of me. I just feel embarrassed, so now I want to say it out loud and to whoever watches,” Zandalasini said at the postgame press conference, apologizing to the officials and Team USA.

The Italian star, who also plays for the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA, took issue with the official for not calling a foul on the last possession. Throughout the last possession, Jackie Young guarded her as the Italian star looked for a pass to take the last shot. With 12.5 seconds remaining on the game clock, she received the pass at the top of the key. She turned around, and just when she was about to take a step-back 3-pointer after a dribble, Zandalasini held her face. According to the announcer, she was poked in the eye.

Watching the referee not blow the whistle, she passed the ball to Francesca Pan. The Italian forward took the ball back from her and attempted a rushed 3-pointer. The ball hit the backboard, and Breanna Stewart grabbed the rebound and dribbled it out of the paint to beat the clock. Right after the buzzer, Zandalasini turned around and started yelling at the referee.

Zandalasini’s frustration might also have been mounting since a play with just over three minutes left in the game. She made an and-one, which would have given Italy a lead, but the officials assessed it as an offensive foul against Zandalasini.

The Valkyries’ star has been Italy’s best player in this FIBA World Cup. In Italy’s first game, she had a team-high 19 points in a win over Czechia. Against Team USA, she finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds. She was the only player from Italy in double digits. However, in the low-scoring night, even the Americans had a similar pattern.

Jackie Young was the only scorer in double digits for Team USA, leading the team with 10 points. Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers added 8 and 7 points, but the overall offensive struggle made this the defending champions’ lowest-scoring game in the World Cup since 1971.

This was the first time Italy had played in the FIBA World Cup since 1994. Previously, the USA team had beaten them by 34 points in the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in March. This was a big test for the Americans, but not many expected that it could happen so early in the tournament. Irrespective of what holes in Team USA were exposed, Breanna Stewart took something positive out of the game.

“Just proud of the resiliency of this group. We haven’t had a lot of time together and when things really mattered down the stretch, we were able to get big stops… A win is a win and we hope to continue to build on this,” she told reporters after the game.

Italy and China have all lost one of their two games, while Czechia has lost both of its two. Since the Americans have won against both Italy and China, they have already qualified for the quarterfinals. Team USA will face Czechia in their final game of the group stage on Monday.