‘Hard for Me To Be Proud of This’ – WNBA Analyst Sounds Off Over Team USA’s FIBA World Cup Performance Against Italy

The expectations are high for Team USA to bring home its fifth straight FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup title. That is not an exaggeration, either, as Kara Lawson’s squad is armed with exceptional players, including the likes of Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and more.

But on Sunday, Italy pushed them to the brink of what could have been their first loss in the tournament in two decades. Team USA escaped with a narrow 55-52 win, but their underwhelming performance was heartbreaking for fans rooting for the team.

WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita had nothing but harsh words for Team USA’s dismal showing against Italy and did not hold back when expressing her anger.

Team USA was flying high with its 33-point victory over China in its first game of the tournament. But Italy, playing in its first FIBA World Cup in 32 years, pulled them back to earth.

They clogged the paint to the point that Clark couldn’t make a single shot out of her six attempts, while Team USA as a whole could only manage 29% shooting from the field.

Things on the perimeter were even worse, as Clark missed all three of her attempts while the team shot just 8.3% from deep.

The basketball world had every reason to be furious, and DeMita gave voice to their collective anger with her take on Team USA’s dismal performance.

“It’s hard for me to be proud of this as a USA fan because even if I’m looking at this game objectively, the refs are on our side,” DeMita said on Sunday’s Courtside Club episode. “There were a couple calls down the stretch. I’m like, man, if I was rooting for Italy, I’d be kind of pissed right now.”

Italy was called for 22 fouls compared to 14 for the United States. The Americans also had a slight edge at the free-throw line, shooting 73% compared to Italy’s 70%.

But free throws were hardly the only problem. Neither team could find its rhythm from deep, with Italy going 2-for-15 from 3-point range while Team USA finished 1-for-12.

DeMita also rejected the idea that Team USA’s poor shooting was simply the result of Italy’s defense.

“There’s not one player on Team USA who played well today,” the WNBA analyst asserted. “I don’t know what was going on…Team USA’s defense had zero rotation. There were so many times we had players camping out in the paint again because you can camp out in the paint in FIBA. There’s no defensive 3 seconds.”

The narrow escape did little to change the bigger picture, though. Team USA remains 2-0 in Group D and is still in control of its path through the tournament.

SEE ALSO:‘They Said A’ja (Wilson) Was Jealous of Her’ – WNBA World Outraged by Caitlin Clark’s 1-Point Performance vs. Italy

Lawson also appeared to recognize that the performance exposed areas that need fixing. Rather than dwelling on the result, the head coach pointed to the value of being tested before the knockout rounds.

“Sometimes it’s good to be tested like this,” Lawson said after the game. “You see where your weaknesses are, and we know exactly where we need to improve.”

Clark and Co. will now have a chance to make those adjustments when they face the Czech Republic on Monday, Sept. 7, in their final Group D game.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.