Team USA narrowly escaped defeat in Berlin on Sunday, holding off Italy 55-52 in a tightly contested matchup at the FIBA Women’s World Cup. The victory secured the Americans’ progression to the quarterfinals with a perfect 2-0 record. Jackie Young led the charge down the stretch, recording 10 points with six coming during a decisive fourth-quarter performance that proved critical to preserving the win.
The game remained competitive throughout, with Italy trailing by just three points entering the final quarter. The Italians mounted multiple comeback attempts, pulling within two points three separate times in the closing minutes. A crucial basket from Breanna Stewart and timely plays by Young and Chelsea Gray ultimately provided enough separation to hold off the persistent European challengers. Despite Stewart’s limited offensive output—making just one of nine attempts—she contributed 11 rebounds to anchor the American defense.
Team USA’s offensive performance was notably sluggish, converting only 28.6 percent of their field goal attempts and managing just one successful three-pointer on 12 attempts. The Americans compensated by dominating free throw shooting, outscoring Italy 22-14 from the line. Cecilia Zandalasini paced Italy’s offense with 14 points and seven rebounds in the 1-1 team’s valiant effort.
The contest marked Team USA’s closest World Cup test in two decades. The squad will conclude group play Monday against the Czech Republic, while Italy faces China in their final preliminary matchup.
Originally reported by Sports.yahoo →
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