The United States women’s basketball team barely survived a massive upset bid on Sunday, needing a tense second-half comeback to squeak past Italy 55-52 in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup group stage. This isn’t the dominant USA squad we’re used to seeing, especially not from a team riding an insane 31-game World Cup winning streak after crushing China by 33 points. What was supposed to be easy turned into an unexpected nail-biter that absolutely nobody saw coming.
Offensive Woes Almost Cost Them Everything
The Americans couldn’t hit a single three-pointer in the entire first half and shot a dismal 32 percent from the field. Imagine that offensive struggle for a team loaded with Napheesa Collier, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, and Angel Reese. They looked flat, going through the motions, and it almost cost them. Guards started forcing contested jumpers, the bigs struggled with double teams, and Italy’s Cecilia Zandalasini started driving the lane and creating real trouble. Team USA even went more than five minutes without a field goal in the third quarter, watching Italy snatch the lead. Adding to the chaos, a 2 a.m. fire alarm reportedly disrupted the teams’ hotel stay, an extra layer of weirdness for this game.
Defense Kept the Lights On, Clutch Shots Clinched It
Despite the offensive struggles, somehow, the USA was still up by six at halftime. How? Their suffocating defense absolutely overwhelmed the Italians, forcing 10 turnovers before the break. Angel Reese was swatting shots down low like it was her job, and even Paige Bueckers got in on the block party from the backcourt. When crunch time hit, the Americans finally seized some control. Bueckers sank the team’s only three-pointer of the game to help get the lead back, but Italy just wouldn’t quit, taking the lead again with less than four minutes left. That’s when the veteran savvy kicked in. Breanna Stewart deflected a pass for a steal, Gray hit a massive jumper, and Jackie Young played lockdown defense on Italy’s final possession, finishing as her team’s leading scorer with 10 points, plus 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Chelsea Young also hit the game’s biggest shot down the stretch. Caitlin Clark, by the way, finished with just 1 point, 4 boards, and 1 assist. Talk about a surprising stat line for one of the game’s biggest names.
So, the US women are 2-0 and officially heading to the quarterfinals, but this wasn’t the easy ride everyone anticipated. It was a serious wake-up call, showing that even the most dominant teams can stumble if they don’t bring their A-game. They’ll need to tighten things up offensively and keep that defensive intensity high when they face Czechia on Monday in their final group stage game. Can they clean it up and show us that classic USA dominance we all expect? We’ll be watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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