The United States women's basketball team clinched a quarter-final berth with a tense 55-52 victory over Italy in the FIBA Women's World Cup on Sunday, overcoming poor shooting and a late controversy.
Jackie Young scored six of her team-high 10 points in the fourth quarter, and Breanna Stewart made her only basket of the game to put the Americans ahead for good. The US (2-0) led only 42-39 after three quarters and fell behind by two points three times in the fourth.
Fourth-quarter comeback
Stewart's jumper, assisted by Young, gave the Americans a 51-50 lead with 3:20 remaining, and Young followed with a floater on the next possession. Chelsea Gray added a pull-up with 1:07 left for an important cushion, but Italy responded quickly with a two-pointer to cut the deficit to 55-52. Gray missed on the next US trip, but Young grabbed the rebound to help her team run out the clock.
Italy's Cecilia Zandalasini missed a three-pointer that would have tied the game with three seconds left and was seen shouting at the referees after the buzzer, arguing she had been poked in the eye on the play. She later apologised for her reaction.
Zandalasini's apology
“I would like to apologize for how I reacted in the end,” said Zandalasini. “To the opposing team, it was a lot of emotions today, but I should have kept them inside of me a little better. I want to apologize to the referees. It's just when I wear this jersey, it's just a different beast that comes out of me, and now I feel embarrassed for how I reacted.”
Angel Reese scored eight points, Stewart grabbed 11 rebounds to help offset her 1-of-9 shooting day, and Paige Bueckers added seven points, five boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Caitlin Clark shot 0-for-6 from the floor and scored one point.
Shooting struggles and next game
The Americans won despite shooting 16 of 56 (28.6%) overall and 1 for 12 on three-pointers, but they outscored Italy 22-14 at the foul line. Zandalasini of the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries had 14 points and seven boards to guide Italy (1-1).
The US narrowly avoided their first World Cup loss since the 2006 semi-finals, marking their closest World Cup game in 20 years, per NBC Sports. The Americans conclude Group D play on Monday against the Czech Republic (0-2), while Italy face China (1-1) with both teams still in contention to advance.
