Team USA’s first big test of the World Cup in Berlin came earlier than expected. In the team’s second game, Italy, led by Golden State Valkyries wing Cecilia Zandalasini, gave Kara Lawson’s star-studded squad all it could handle. The U.S. escaped with a 55-52 win, but it was an ugly game all around. Team USA shot just 34.1% on two-pointers and went 1-12 from deep.
These games happen. Sometimes, shots just don’t fall and you have to find another way to win. That’s always difficult, but even more so for a roster that has little experience playing together. So, in a way, Team USA is lucky that it had to go through such a tough game early in the tournament instead of later when there’s even more pressure on games and a single loss can mean the end of the USA’s gold medal streak.
This game is an invaluable learning opportunity
Breanna Stewart understands international competition better than perhaps anyone in women’s basketball. She has won gold at three Olympics and is now playing in her fourth World Cup, chasing yet another gold medal in one of the toughest international competitions. Stewart knows what the team can learn from an ugly win like this.
“We want to be in these battles,” Stewart said in the postgame media availability, per a video on the FIBA Media YouTube channel. “We want to be in these tough positions because we want to get ready for what’s to come.”
Head coach Kara Lawson voiced the same sentiment.
“We’ll grow from it,” Lawson said. “Every game is more information for us. Every time you get exposed in certain ways, you can go back and look at the film and continue to improve.”
She also added, “We shot 10 for 35 in the paint…Percentages say we won’t shoot 29% in the paint again, but what my takeaway is is that even if we do, we have enough to win, and we’re tough enough to win either way.”
Italy put up a great fight, but Team USA will likely face deeper, more talented teams later on in the tournament. France still looks like the team’s biggest challenger for the gold medal. Led by a pool of WNBA players, France has put up over 90 points in both of its first games and will most likely come out of Group B victorious—maybe even undefeated. They already almost beat Team USA at the last Olympics, and several players on France’s roster, particularly Dominique Malonga, are much better now. Another nerve-wracking game between the two teams isn’t unlikely.
Every member of Team USA has played and delivered in high-pressure situations, whether that’s the NCAA tournament or the WNBA playoffs. Still, there is another level to playing for a national team that hasn’t lost out on a World Cup gold medal since 2006. The pressure to keep that streak alive is immense, and many members of this Team USA roster haven’t been in win-or-go-home moments on the international stage yet. So, facing adversity in their second game will be a good experience for when new challenges arise later in the tournament.
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