US Women's Basketball Team Edges Italy 55-52 to Reach World Cup Quarter-Finals

Fourth-quarter comeback

The United States women's basketball team secured a place in the FIBA World Cup quarter-finals on Sunday with a 55-52 victory against Italy in Berlin. After leading 19-8 at the end of the first quarter and 42-39 through three quarters, the Americans trailed 46-44 with six minutes remaining and 50-48 with 4:29 left. A decisive 7-0 run swung the contest back to the United States. Breanna Stewart, who missed her first eight field goal attempts, made a jumper with 3:20 remaining off an assist from Jackie Young to give the Americans a 51-50 lead.

Following an offensive foul called against Italy, Young scored on a floater to push the margin to three. Chelsea Gray added a pull-up jumper with 1:07 left to extend the lead to 55-50. Italy cut the deficit to 55-52 on a basket by Matilde Villa with under a minute remaining, but Cecilia Zandalasini missed a potential game-tying three-pointer as time expired.

Shooting struggles and box score

The Americans posted their lowest scoring total in an international competition in 50 years, shooting 16 of 56 (28.6%) from the field and 1 of 12 on three-pointers. The team made up ground at the free throw line, outscoring Italy 22-14 despite missing eight free throws. Jackie Young was the only American player to reach double figures, finishing with 10 points, including six in the final quarter.

Angel Reese contributed eight points, while Paige Bueckers recorded seven points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Stewart collected 11 rebounds alongside her five points, and Caitlin Clark finished with one point on 0-for-6 shooting from the floor. Zandalasini led Italy with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Post-game reactions and controversy

After the final buzzer, Zandalasini argued with the officiating crew, stating that an opponent poked her in the eye during the final shot attempt. She addressed her reaction shortly after the game.

I would like to apologize for how I reacted in the end. 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.

Before the tournament, United States head coach Kara Lawson discussed the closing competitive margins across the international women's game.

I think there's no question that the world is improving at a rapid rate. It's so exciting to see, and I see it at every level.

Historical context and tournament outlook

The victory extended the United States' winning streak in World Cup games to 32, a run dating back to a 75-68 loss to Russia in the 2006 semi-finals in Sao Paulo. The three-point margin was the closest World Cup match for the Americans since that 2006 defeat. It was also just the fifth single-digit win for the program over the past decade.

The performance contrasted with the previous meeting between the two nations in March, when the United States defeated Italy by 34 points during qualifying in Puerto Rico. Italy entered the tournament having missed every World Cup since 1994 and having finished third at EuroBasket 2025. The United States (2-0) concludes Group D play on Monday against the Czech Republic (0-2), while Italy (1-1) plays China (1-1) for a quarter-final place.