Overview
- The United States narrowly beat Italy 55-52 in Berlin on Sunday in a game that exposed offensive lapses; the 55 points were the fewest the U.S. has scored in a World Cup game since 1971.
- Caitlin Clark went 0-for-6 and scored one point while Jackie Young led the Americans with 10 points as Italy’s Cecilia Zandalasini finished with 14 and missed a potential tying 3 at the buzzer.
- The U.S. won the Italy game on the strength of defense, forcing about 18 turnovers and holding Italy to roughly 31 percent shooting, prompting coach Kara Lawson to publicly challenge the team’s intensity.
- Hours later on Monday the Americans answered with a 105-64 win over Czechia to finish group play 3-0, extend the U.S. World Cup streak to 33 straight wins, and advance to a quarterfinal against the winner of Japan versus Hungary.
- Roster disruption from late withdrawals and Italy’s zone/pressure tactics underline growing international parity and leave the U.S. focused on integrating replacements and fixing offensive chemistry before single-elimination play.