Team USA outlasted a strong Serbia national team that took on the challenge of playing against a powerhouse team like Team USA. As a FIBA Women’s World Cup first-team, Team USA fell behind early and were down by four points late in the second quarter.
But there’s a reason Team USA has won three straight World Cup titles. After Kahleah Cooper went down with an undisclosed injury, the U.S. went on a decisive 20-0 run to beat Serbia 88-55 and secure their spot in the World Cup semifinals.
“I think that was the moment we really had to focus on,” A’ja Wilson said of Copper’s injury. “The first quarter kind of threw us off a little bit. I know I wasn’t prepared. I can’t do that. So I think we really have to focus on the rest of the season from the jump and understand that we can get whatever we want. We just have to stay the course.”
🚨 Semi-final update 🚨
The first match tomorrow is 🇨🇦 Canada 🆚 USA 🇺🇸, kicking off at 5pm Sydney time (GMT+10)!#FIBAWWC pic.twitter.com/AZ0WQye1bQ
— FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) September 29, 2022
Serbia, ranked 10th in the FIBA rankings, successfully executed a game plan that included blocking the paint and making the game a physical battle. Team USA vs. Team Servia saw the U.S. fall behind for the first time in pain, 28-26. Kelsey Plum (17 points) admitted Serbia was “more physical than I’ve seen all tournament.”
The U.S. struggled against Serbia’s physical defense, which was evident in their 17 turnovers, the first time they had more turnovers than their opponents during the World Cup.
“They put a lot of guys in the paint,” said Alyssa Thomas (13 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists). “That’s a given, especially after scoring 94 points in the paint. [against Korea]I would do the same thing, but they were focused on that and we really had to make outside shots.”
Instead of relying on the paint to beat Serbia, Team USA made 11 3-pointers and 2-12 free throws. The U.S. closed the first half with a 12-0 run to take a 50-33 lead, and started the second half with an 8-0 run. Team USA also held Serbia to a score from 3:39 of the second quarter to 5:15 of the third quarter, and Serbia scored seven points the rest of the third quarter.
“I think we needed that momentum,” Wilson said. “I think we needed that first quarter because that’s what we’re going to see. It’s going to get tougher from here on out. So I think it was a good game for us. It was a good game for us to see that and get stronger.”
Team USA will face Canada on Friday for the right to play in the gold medal game. The winner of the USA-Canada game will play the winner of the Australia-China semifinal.
