Team USA struggles and survives World Cup scare from Italy

Before the women’s basketball World Cup, Team USA coach Kara Lawson acknowledged what some box scores have been indicating for a while: The United States is still the most dominant team in the world, but the gap isn’t as large as it once was.

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

Lawson might not have been as excited to see that rapid rate of improvement as closely as she did Sunday as Team USA eked out a 55-52 win over Italy in its second game of the tournament.

In March, during World Cup qualifiers in Puerto Rico, Team USA beat Italy by 34 points. Though rosters weren’t identical from the qualifiers to the World Cup, the gulf in performance — just six months removed — against an opponent that had been so soundly defeated certainly caused some anxiety. It was one of the closest games Team USA has played in a major international competition in the last decade, and against a team that — on paper — was overmatched, even without A’ja Wilson joining Team USA in Germany. It was just the fifth single-digit win in the last decade for the U.S.

Meanwhile, the Italians hadn’t qualified for the World Cup since 1994 and hadn’t played in a major international competition since the 1996 Olympics, when they finished eighth. It was at those Olympics that the U.S. began its gold medal streak, which extends to eight consecutive gold medals, and its international dominance. Italy had been at home through every major international competition since those Atlanta Games, while USA Basketball had been running through its competition, dropping a total of just one game in the same span (at the 2006 World Championships).

Against a physical Italian defense that switched up its coverages, the U.S. couldn’t get much offense flowing, even as Lawson cobbled together multiple lineups and personnel groups. The team shot 29 percent overall and a paltry eight percent on 3-pointers while missing eight free throws. Only Jackie Young (10 points) reached double digits. Overall, it was Team USA’s lowest scoring output in international competition in the last 50 years.

Chelsea Gray, one of three World Cup winners on the roster, gave the U.S. a 5-point lead with a midrange jumper with just more than a minute remaining. Cecilia Zandalasini, who plays for the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, carried Italy with 14 points and seven rebounds.

The U.S. extended its winning streak in international play, and with its second win in pool play, qualified for the quarterfinals.

This story will be updated.