Basketball
Italy hand holders USA a major scare
BERLIN (Germany) - FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup holders USA are breathing a sigh of relief after squeezing past Italy 55-52 in front of another huge crowd at the Berlin Arena. More than 9,000 fans watched on as Italy almost handed USA their first World Cup loss in two decades, only for the tournament favorites to dig out a precious victory.
It was a valiant performance by the European side as they shrugged off a slow start to work themselves back in the contest.
Italy's defense was heroic. USA missed their first 10 attempts from three before Paige Bueckers hit the first one.
Their defensive rotations and teamwork caused USA plenty of headaches and that resulted in the champions posting their lowest World Cup total since the introduction of the three-point line in 1984.
The performance highlighted the growth of the women's game which Breanna Stewart highlighted in the post-game press conference.
"The growth has continued from every single international competition. You see it when you've played overseas, I've played with Fenerbahce as of late, or you see it in the WNBA now with so many international players coming in and being a part of that league, too. I think it's really exciting. "
This growth is also mirrored in the support which Italy received in the arena, showing how far basketball has grown across the world.
"What's cool to me is that more people are engaged. More people back home are engaged. A lot of people here are really engaged. And these players that are stepping out and representing their country, you might know them for the first time, or you might have seen them 10 times, but they all have incredible paths and stories. I think what's really cool is just the way that we're able to be role models to so many and just expand that reach."
Coach Lawson echoed this statement, making light of how every game in the competition needs to be taken seriously, and that no opponent will be a walkover.
"I think this is the most challenging World cup to win of anyone before, because of how good everyone is; there's much more depth to the rosters at the World Cup. There's players that can come in off the bench and change games. And we saw that for Italy tonight. We've seen that through the tournament. Every game feel like a dog fight. It's really hard. And on any given night, if you're not prepared to play, you'll lose."
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N/AJackie Young who was named TCL Player of the Game was the only player to post a double-digit scoring return with 10 points and that was more proof of the defensive suffocation applied by Italy.
The game was still in the balance in the closing seconds, with Cecilia Zandalasini who scored a game-high 14 points, having a three-point attempt to force overtime falling short.
USA move to 2-0 in Group D and secured themselves a place in the Quarter-Finals, with Italy now 1-1.
FIBA
