Aliyah Boston and Team USA defeated Italy in the group stage of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on Sunday. However, it wasn’t easy, with the Americans barely surviving in a 55-52 victory.
Jackie Young was Team USA’s best scorer, as she finished with 10 points. She was also the only member of the squad to make more than two field goals, finishing 4-of-6 from the field.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark even failed to make a shot on her six attempts, as she recorded just one point (via a free throw), along with four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Boston, for her part, had six points, three rebounds and one steal in the win.
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Despite Team USA’s rather poor performance, a win is still a win. Even better, the victory allowed the Americans to earn a spot in the quarterfinals by securing the top spot in Group D.
Following the news, the Fever made sure to celebrate both Boston and Clark, as well as highlight their achievement with Team USA.
“Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark & @usabasketball are 2-0 at the World Cup and have punched their ticket to the Quarterfinals,” the Fever wrote, along with photos of the two players while suiting up for the national team.
In another post, the Fever put the spotlight on Boston and emphasized her latest performance with Team USA.
While Boston didn’t score a lot for Team USA, she had the most impact in the win. She actually finished with a game-high +18 rating in the plus-minus box score, highlighting how important she was to the victory.
“game-high +18 from Aliyah Boston in @usabasketball ‘s win over Italy,” the Fever stated.
Team USA has one more game in the group stage, against Czechia, before moving on to the knockout rounds.
Sure enough, plenty of eyes will be on Clark and Boston as they continue their first FIBA World Cup run.
