The United States scraped into the quarter-finals of the FIBA Women’s World Cup with a hard-fought 55-52 win over Italy on Sunday, improving to 2-0 in the tournament. It was a low-scoring, tight contest decided in the final minutes after a largely defensive struggle and inconsistent shooting by the Americans.
Late surge secures narrow victory
The U.S. led just 42-39 after three quarters and trailed by two points on three separate occasions in the fourth. Breanna Stewart’s only basket of the game — a jumper set up by Jackie Young — put the Americans ahead 51-50 with 3:20 remaining. Young followed with a floater on the next possession, and Chelsea Gray’s pull-up with 1:07 left provided a brief cushion.
Italy responded quickly, knocking down a two-pointer to cut the margin to 55-52. Gray missed on the subsequent U.S. possession, but Young secured the offensive rebound and the Americans were able to run down the clock to preserve the win.
Individual performances and controversy
Jackie Young was instrumental down the stretch, producing a strong fourth quarter that proved decisive. Stewart’s late jumper was also pivotal despite being her only scoring contribution. Caitlin Clark struggled offensively, failing to convert on six field-goal attempts (0-6).
The match was touched by controversy when Italy’s Cecilia Zandalasini said she had been poked in the eye during play. Tournament officials' response to that claim was not detailed, and the incident added an edgy note to an already tense game.
The U.S. now advances to the knockout stage after a gritty defensive display and will look to tighten its shooting as the tournament progresses. Italy pushed the favourite throughout and will be disappointed to come away without a win after a competitive showing.