Team USA has long dominated international women’s basketball, and that might continue well into the future.
Or not.
On Sunday, Italy pushed the U.S. to the brink, before Kara Lawson’s team pulled it out, 55-52.
Italy shot poorly, hitting just 2-15 on threes (13%), and 18-58 overall (31%).
However, the U.S. was worse, hitting an awful 1-12 from behind the line (just 8%), and 16-56 (29%) overall.
It’s bewildering that the U.S., with so much talent, shot so poorly, but some critics think that the women may
have made the mistake the men made for several cycles after the Dream Team in 1992, opting for talent over chemistry.
It’s too early to know for sure, but it is a possible concern. Ball movement is everything, really.
Here are some of the ugly stats:
- Breanna Stewart shot 1-9.
- Caitlin Clark was 0-6.
- Aliyah Boston was 2-7.
- Stewart did get 11 rebounds, but the second-leading rebounder was Paige Bueckers, with 5. Stewart aside, the other four starters combined for just 9.
This was the lowest offensive output for Team USA since 1971.
Bueckers put a positive spin on things, saying this:
“Definitely, I think there’s learning experiences and growth from every single game. But to be challenged like this early, for our group, I think it’s great for us in the long run.
“I mean, we’ve been together here for five days, so to grow through this experience, learn what we need to get better at, but have confidence in our ability to find ways to win. But also have room for growth and know that there’s so much that we need to get better at, I think it’ll do best for us.”
Lawson was not pleased afterwards, telling her team “[l]et this be the last time that a team plays with more passion than us throughout the course of the game. Let this be the last time that all 12 don’t show up to compete at a high level, and let this be the last time that we lack a resilient mindset, because we’re so upset that we’re not scoring the way we’re normally scoring…Your contribution is not limited to how well you score the ball. Your contribution has to be your effort, your passion, your energy…Your intensity that you play with. Alright? We gotta be the hardest playing team in this tournament. We will not win on our talent, even though our talent is awesome.”
On to Czechia, formerly the Czech Republic, on Monday, at 2:45 p.m. It’s on TNT, truTV, or HBO Max.
- Italy Just Exposed Team USA’s Biggest Weakness at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup
- USA Edges Out Italy in Low-Scoring FIBA World Cup Nail-Biter
- Lip reader deciphers Caitlin Clark’s 2-word clapback at Italy coach in tense World Cup game
- Team USA star gets honest about ugly win vs Italy in FIBA Women’s World Cup
- Italy’s upset bid falls short as the US escapes 55-52 in a tense World Cup game
- Caitlin Clark’s Shooting Struggles, Angel Reese’s Viral Defensive Start & More As Team USA Survives Italy Scare
- Angel Reese’s defense leads USA vs Italy FIBA World Cup winners, losers
- Team USA pushed to brink before escaping Italy in World Cup thriller
- Team USA’s win vs. Italy in FIBA Women’s World Cup marks wild first in 16 years
- FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026: USA defeats Italy, 55-52
- US overcome poor shooting and Italy’s eye-poke claims in edgy Fiba World Cup win
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line
