Sept. 6, 2026, 9:16 p.m. ET
- The U.S. girls’s basketball crew narrowly defeated Italy 55-52 within the 2026 FIBA Girls’s World Cup.
- Italy’s Cecilia Zandalasini missed a possible game-winning shot within the last seconds.
- Zandalasini later apologized for her emotional response on the finish of the shut sport.
BERLIN — Each sport boils all the way down to moments.
As the US confronted Italy within the 2026 FIBA Girls’s World Cup, each second required a response, and for Italy’s Cecilia Zandalasini, historical past got here down to at least one second.
Within the last seconds, U.S. defender Jackie Younger closed in on Zandalasini, elevating her left hand. Zandalasini recoiled with the ball nonetheless in her hand, seemingly affected by Younger’s attain. However time didn’t cease, no whistle was blown, and Zandalasini had yet another shot; yet another second. She discovered herself simply past the arc, and nonetheless affected by Younger’s intrusion, she threw up a shot that would have made historical past, nevertheless it solely discovered glass because the buzzer sounded and the U.S. escaped with a 55-52 victory.
Purchase Fever ticketsIn frustration, Zandalasini turned and strutted to the closest official, yanking her jersey down in anger. Italy’s coach Andrea Capobianco gave the impression to be the one one to calm her, as his arms cupped the perimeters of her face in an act of decision.
Shut video games naturally deliver out heated rivalries and uncharacteristic responses. And for Zandalasini, that’s precisely what it was: uncharacteristic.
“I’d wish to apologize for a way I reacted in the long run to the opposing crew,” she mentioned throughout her crew’s press convention. “There have been numerous feelings in the present day, however I ought to have saved them inside slightly higher. I wish to apologize to the referees. It’s simply that once I put on this jersey, it’s a completely different beast. And now I really feel embarrassed for a way I reacted.”
Zandalasini’s missed 3-pointer resulted within the U.S. crew’s thirty second consecutive victory in FIBA World Cup competitors. It’s no secret that Italy was seconds away from disrupting one of the vital profitable dynasties of girls’s basketball.
“So now we confirmed what we’re able to, however we wish to hold going and never cease right here and lose our head on this sport. It’s nonetheless a really lengthy event,” mentioned Zandalasini.
In a 55-52 U.S. victory, it’s clear that every crew performed with an amazing quantity of coronary heart. Each groups fought via a problem, responded to the opposite’s strikes, and inevitably turned higher for it. Italy impressively held the U.S. to their lowest scoring since 1971 with 55 factors, and alternatively the U.S. held the Italians to simply 52 factors.
“Italy performed with nice drive and nice ardour; they managed the sport for giant components,” mentioned U.S. coach Kara Lawson. “Defensively, to carry a crew to 52 factors on this event is difficult to do. And you’ve got to have the ability to win in several methods on this event as a result of each crew stylistically performs slightly bit completely different.”
The U.S. considerably overcame offensive struggles, capturing simply 16-for-56 from the sphere and ending 1-for-12 from past the arc. Italy held Caitlin Clark to at least one level, in addition to Breanna Stewart to 1-for-9 from the sphere. Nonetheless, the U.S. discovered a technique to win.
Zandalasini translated her coach’s phrases, saying, “We wished to interrupt their rhythm from the beginning as a result of we all know they play with rhythm; they’re actually unstoppable, and he’s comfortable about the way in which we’ve achieved it.”
Jenna Black is a graduate scholar at IU Indianapolis and a part of the Sports activities Capital Journalism Program. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark protection despatched on to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever e-newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth evaluation, behind-the-scenes protection and extra.
