Team USA Advances Undefeated After Italy Scare

Team USA concluded the group stage of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup undefeated, securing a spot in the quarterfinals after a narrow 55-52 victory over Italy and a decisive 105-64 win against Czechia. The Americans' toughest test came against Italy, a game marked by significant offensive struggles for the entire team and a career-low scoring performance from guard Caitlin Clark. Team USA shot just 28.6 percent from the field and made only one of 12 three-point attempts against Italy, its lowest scoring output in a World Cup game since 1971. Clark finished that contest with one point, missing all six of her field goal attempts, a first in her collegiate or professional career. WNBA legend Tina Charles defended Clark following the Italy game, arguing that singling out the player for the team's offensive difficulties was unfair. Charles stated that Clark's struggles to find rhythm mirrored those of the entire American offense, emphasizing that the team needed to find other ways to impact the game when their preferred style was not working. Team USA quickly rebounded against Czechia, showcasing an improved offensive rhythm and shooting 52.