Well, Team USA had tons of trouble with Italy.
Less than six months ago, Team USA defeated Italy by 34 points in the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On Sunday in Berlin, Germany, Team USA squeaked out a three-point win, 55-52.
On paper, the Italians may not have had any advantages over the United States. The resumes and statistics that convey the Americans’ superiority, however, failed to account for the firey and feisty motivation that the Italians brought to the matchup.
Team USA was going through the motions. Italy played with emotion.
As indicated by the final score, it was an ugly affair.
Team USA shot 29 percent from the field, with Italy managing a 31-percent shooting performance. Team USA made a single 3-pointer; Italy hit just three. Team USA also missed eight free throws, making their most reliable source of points not all that reliable.
Early on, the Americans were forcing things, with players seeming to want to get their buckets over playing team basketball. As the contest remained tight deep into the second half, American players then became too unassertive, appearing afraid to make a mistake or miss a key shot.
Certainly, the United States was unlucky.
Breanna Stewart, in particular, was unable to buy a basket, missing shots that should be automatic for Team USA’s most experienced player. A late fourth-quarter field goal, finally, dropped for Stewie, giving her a 1-for-9 shooting line and five total points.
A similar script played out for the majority of her teammates. The usually-efficient Aliyah Boston had six points on seven shot attempts. Kahleah Copper missed all four of her field goal attempts, scoring all six of her points from the foul line. The line also was the only place Caitlin Clark found a point, as she missed all six of her field goal attempts. The 2-for-5 efforts from Napheesa Collier and Paige Bueckers, while subpar, stand out as decent considering the United States’ extreme shooting woes.
That the United States escaped with the win testified to something Zack Ward wrote about recently: the mentality of the Las Vegas Aces.
A’ja Wilson is not in Berlin, but thank goodness Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young are.
Overall, Young was the Americans’ best player, and not just because she was the only player to reach double figures, but also because of when and how those points came. Jackie stepped up down the stretch, hitting crucial buckets, earning free throws and crashing the glass. She also effectively pestered Cecilia Zandalisini on the game’s final possession, ensuring the Italians could not force overtime with a late 3-pointer.
Chelsea Gray also reminded why she’s the Point Gawd, grabbing the controls of the out-of-sorts American offense and orchestrating the eventual win, even if it wasn’t pretty. In addition to hitting a classic Chelsea midrange fadeaway at exactly the right moment, Gray drew a crucial charge on what would have been a Zandalasini bucket.
Zandalisini led Italy with 14 points, despite playing though foul trouble. Mariella Santucci also was a spark plug for Italy, epitomizing the incessant effort that the Italians brought for the full 40 minutes, refusing to allow the Americans to go on a run, get comfortable and cruise to an easy win.
One might be inclined to suggest that this outcome proves that, as so often is claimed, “The world is catching up.” Or, by actually playing to their potential, with the requisite focus, intensity and respect, the United States could instead prove that there’s still a lot of catching up to do. Their advantages, even if they were not evident on Sunday, are still too overwhelming.
We’ll see if Team USA finds the required mentality over the remainder of the tournament.
