Sept 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. survived a tough test against Italy at the FIBA Women's World Cup on Sunday, with their narrow 55-52 victory serving as a further sign of growing competitiveness in the women's game.
Italy held the U.S. to their lowest points total in 42 years and were up 50-48 with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before the defending champions turned things around to book their spot in the quarter-finals.
"I think this is the most challenging World Cup to win of any one before because of how good everyone is," U.S. coach Kara Lawson told reporters post-game in Berlin.
"There's much more depth to the rosters at the World Cup. There's players that can come in off the bench and change games and we saw that for Italy tonight. We've seen that throughout the tournament."
On Saturday, Mali earned just their second victory at the tournament with a shock 82-73 win over Spain, who had beenwidely expectedto enjoy a deep run.
"Every game feels like a dog fight. It's really hard," said Lawson. "And on any given night, if you're not prepared to play, you'll lose. That's awesome for our sport."
Jackie Young led the U.S. with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Angel Reese put up eight points, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal, with Lawson calling the Atlanta Dream forward a "difference maker".
"She comes into the game and she plays with great energy and she competes," Lawson said of the 24 -year-old. "She scores, she rebounds, she plays with great pace. It's what you want in a young player to come in and do that."
Forward Breanna Stewart said the 11-times champions leaned on their experience to grind out a win.
"We've all been in these high-stress situations, knowing that the gym is cheering against us. ... And we embraced it," saidStewart, who was proud of the team's resilience.
"It's supposed to be challenging, and we're supposed to have moments where we're not at our best," Lawson added. "And the teams that can perseverethrough that and have a resilient mindset are the ones that are able to win."
The U.S. play Czechia next on Monday.
(Reporting by Nicole Fernandes in Toronto)
