Team USA snatched a 55-52 victory over Italy in the FIBA Women’s World Cup on Sunday, officially clinching their quarterfinal berth. But holy smokes, did they make us sweat it out, falling behind by two points *three separate times* in that fourth quarter alone.
Fourth Quarter Chaos And Clutch Plays
This wasn’t some blowout, not by a long shot. They were up only 42-39 after three, then watched Italy claw back hard. Breanna Stewart, who had a rough shooting night, hit her *only* basket of the entire game to put the Americans up 51-50 with just 3:20 left, off an assist from Jackie Young. Young wasn’t done, dropping a floater on their very next possession. Chelsea Gray got a bit of cushion with a shot at 1:07, but Italy quickly answered back, cutting it right back to 55-52. Gray missed her next attempt, but Young, ever the hustler, grabbed the rebound, letting them chew up precious clock. Italy’s Cecilia Zandalasini, who led her squad with 14 points and seven boards, missed a three-pointer to tie it with three seconds left, and was *fuming* at the refs after the buzzer, arguing she got poked in the eye on the play. What a finish, right?
The Shooting Numbers Are Tough To Look At
Let’s be real, this was a defensive battle… or maybe just a really bad shooting night. The U.S. won *despite* shooting an absolutely dreadful 16 of 56 overall, that’s a mind-numbing 28.6%. From downtown? Even worse, a brutal 1-for-12. How’d they win? They owned the foul line, outscoring Italy 22-14 there. Jackie Young was the hero of the fourth, but also the team’s top scorer with 10 points, six of those coming in the final frame. Angel Reese added eight points. Stewart, despite her 1-for-9 shooting, pulled down a monster 11 rebounds. Paige Bueckers put up a solid seven points, five boards, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Unfortunately, Caitlin Clark struggled big time, going 0-for-6 from the floor and only scoring one point. Gotta hope those shots start falling soon!
What’s Next: Can They Find Their Rhythm?
This escape was a huge one, their closest World Cup game in 20 years, and it stopped their first World Cup loss since the 2006 semifinals dead in its tracks. They wrap up Group D play Monday against the Czech Republic, who are currently 0-2. Italy (1-1) plays China (1-1) in the other group game. Winning the group means a direct ticket to the quarterfinals, but second and third place have to fight through a qualification round. Our squad needs to find some offensive rhythm, and fast, if they want to make a deep run. That kind of shooting won’t cut it against tougher competition, plain and simple.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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