Everyone expected the new-look Team USA to be tested at the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup. No one predicted that it would happen in the group stage against Italy. After all, Italy was making its first World Cup appearance since 1994, and the Americans beat the Italians by 44 at the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in March.

Yet as a tense 40 minutes in Berlin came to a close, Team USA could only stand and watch as Cecilia Zandalasini's 3-pointer floated toward the rim. If it went in, there would be overtime. Instead, it drifted well wide and Breanna Stewart grabbed the rebound to secure a 55-52 victory for Team USA.

This was the lowest-scoring game for Team USA at the World Cup since 1971. 

"Italy really kinda mucked up the game for us and made it difficult for us to score," Stewart said. " Tough team. Tons of respect to what they've done. Just proud of the resiliency of this group. We haven't had a lot of time together and when things really mattered down the stretch, we were able to get big stops... A win is a win and we hope to continue to build on this." 

After the final whistle, an irate Zandalasini immediately confronted the officials over what she felt was a missed call earlier in the final possession, when it appeared Jackie Young may have poked her in the eye. It would not have been a shooting foul, however, and the Italians were not in the bonus, but they would have had a chance to reset a chaotic possession. Zandalasini was likely also frustrated about a call with just over three minutes left when she thought she had an and-one that would have given Italy the lead, but the officials whistled her for a charge.

"I would like to apologize for how I acted in the end," Zandalasini said at her postgame press conference. "Just wanted to apologize to the team and to the referee. When I wear this jersey, it's just a different beast, I guess, that comes out of me. I just feel embarrassed, so now I want to say it out loud and to whoever watches."

With the win, the Americans moved to 2-0 at the World Cup and officially qualified directly to the quarterfinals of the knockout stage. Their opponent is to be determined. Notably, however, they are now guaranteed to be on the opposite side of the bracket as France, which means the two favorites could not meet until the final on Sept. 13.

There was little to write home about for the Americans offensively on Sunday. Jackie Young, who finished with 10 points on 4 of 6 from the field and added four rebounds and three assists, was the only player in double figures and the only one to make more than 50% of her shots. 

As a team they shot 16 of 56 (29%) from the field, including 1 of 12 (8%) from 3-point range. They had nearly as many turnovers (14) as made baskets. Furthermore, they were 22 of 30 from the free-throw line, which would have been a major talking point if the result went the other way. 

The only positive for Team USA was that they made life just as difficult for Italy with some impressive defensive, particularly down the stretch. The Italians shot 18 of 58 (31%) from the field and turned the ball over 18 times. After they took a 50-48 lead with 4:46 to play, they scored just two points the rest of the way. 

"I thought we had some really good possessions late. The charge Chelsea took was a big momentum-changing play. It was an incredible winning play by Gray there," Team USA coach Kara Lawson said. "Not allowing them to get a quality look at the basket when we were up three was great. We had moments where we were really tight defensively. That's encouraging, we just have to stretch those out."

As Stewart said, a win is a win, and Team USA extended its historic winning streak at the World Cup to 32 games. Their last loss came in the semifinals of the 2006 tournament, when they fell to Russia. Not only is the three-point win over Italy the smallest margin of victory during this winning streak, it is the first time the Americans failed to win by double digits.

Team USA will conclude the group stage on Monday against Czechia (2:45 ET, TNT) in a game that is now effectively an exhibition. But even though the outcome no longer matters, it will be important for this new group to continue building chemistry together ahead of the quarterfinals.

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