The United States beat Italy 55–52 at Berlin Arena on Sunday, 6 September, to secure a quarter-final place at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. The defending champions recovered late in the final quarter to protect their unbeaten start, according to USA Basketball and FIBA’s match report.
Jackie Young led the American scorers with 10 points and received FIBA’s player-of-the-game award. Cecilia Zandalasini scored a game-high 14 for Italy but missed a late three-point attempt that would have forced overtime, FIBA reported.
According to the Associated Press report published by the WNBA, the United States trailed 50–48 with four minutes and 29 seconds remaining before scoring seven unanswered points. Breanna Stewart put the Americans ahead with her first basket, while Chelsea Gray drew an offensive foul and later made a jump shot.
Italy had erased an early 23–8 deficit after switching to a zone defence, AP reported. The Americans finished with a 29 per cent field-goal success rate and made one of their 12 three-point attempts.
FIBA said the United States missed their first 10 attempts from beyond the arc before Paige Bueckers converted. The governing body recorded the team’s lowest World Cup points total since the three-point line entered the competition in 1984.
The victory extended the Americans’ World Cup winning streak to 32 games, according to AP. Their previous defeat came against Russia in the 2006 semi-finals.
Head coach Kara Lawson said her side needed to find ways to win against different playing styles, AP reported. She credited Gray’s late defensive intervention as an important moment in the recovery.
The result took the United States to two wins from two Group D matches and left Italy with one victory and one defeat, FIBA confirmed. The tournament runs until 13 September in Berlin, with the Americans having secured their place in the last eight.
