USA Move to 3-0 with 93-59 Win Over Italy at FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying

15 March 2026

USA 93, ITA 59

The USA Basketball Women's National Team improved to 3-0 in the Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico with a 93-59 win over Italy.

The USA, who have already qualified for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin by winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, will play New Zealand on Sunday (2 p.m. ET), before concluding the competition with Spain on Tuesday (5 p.m.).

View the USA-Italy box score here.

POSTGAME NOTES

First Slice: Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kahleah Copper, Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby got the nod as starters versus Italy. Additionally, Nate Tibbetts was the lead coach, as head coach Kara Lawson returned to her responsibilities at Duke University to prepare for the NCAA Women’s Tournament.

3(.14) Wins Over Italy: The USA improved to 3-1 versus Italy in senior national team competitions. Tonight’s matchup was the first between the two countries at the senior level since the 1994 Goodwill Games (USA defeated ITA 92-37).

A Numbers Game: For the third straight game, the USA outrebounded their opponent. The Americans held a 37-25 advantage on the glass, led by Hamby who had 9 boards. Angel Reese pulled down 7 rebounds while Young snagged 6.

Piece of the Pie: For the third consecutive game in this tournament, the USA had at least 4 double figure scorers. Copper led the scoring with 15 points, and was aided by Caitlin Clark (12), Paige Bueckers (12), Gray (11) and Young (11). Copper and Gray reached double figures after just two quarters.

No Repeating Pattern: The U.S. has had a different leading scorer in every game of World Cup Qualifying, dating back to 2022. Four years ago, it was Kelsey Plum (16 vs. BEL on 2/11/22) and Ariel Atkins (14 vs. PUR on 2/12/22). This year, the top scorers so far are Howard (21 vs. SEN on 3/11/26), Bueckers (16 vs. PUR on 3/12/26) and now Copper (15 vs. ITA on 3/14/26).

Mathematical Constant: The U.S. defense has been stout in San Juan, holding their opponents under 60 points in each contest. The Americans have not let an opponent score more than 20-points in a quarter and have held their opponents under 10-points in a quarter twice (8, 2nd quarter vs. SEN; 7, 1st quarter vs. PUR).

Know Your Place-Value: In 2022, the USA played a pair of World Cup Qualifying games. The U.S. outscored their opponents in those games by 23.5 points per game (USA def. BEL 84-75 on 2/11/22; USA def. PUR 93-55 on 2/12/22). In three games this year, the Americans have notched a margin of 47.0 points (USA def. SEN 110-46 on 3/11/26; USA def. PUR 91-48 on 3/12/26; USA def. ITA 93-59 on 3/14/26).

Road to Berlin: By winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup, the USA automatically qualified for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Sept. 4-13 in Berlin. The FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournaments, hosted in four different locations on three continents, features six teams playing on a round-robin basis in hope of finishing in the top three to earn a berth to Berlin. The U.S. is chasing a fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal (12th overall).