Caitlin Clark Held Without Field Goal as USA Avoids Italy World Cup Upset

Caitlin Clark struggled to make an impact in Team USA's World Cup scare against Italy.

Caitlin Clark dribbling during a FIBA World Cup game. | IMAGO / Eibner

Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark couldn't replicate her historic FIBA World Cup debut performance in Team USA's second game against Italy.

Clark was held without a field goal in Team USA's narrow 55-52 victory over Italy on Sunday. She was 0-for-6 from the field, 0-for-3 from three-point range, and added four rebounds and just one assist while committing two turnovers in 19 minutes of action.

This marked the first time in Clark's college and WNBA career that she was held without a field goal in a game, according to ESPN.

Caitlin Clark gets a shot blocked against Italy in the FIBA World Cup. | IMAGO / Belga

Clark also didn't play in the final seven minutes of the game, as Team USA instead leaned on Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray to run the offense down the stretch.

This comes after Clark tallied 11 assists against China on Friday, which was the most by a USA Basketball player in their FIBA World Cup debut. And because Clark didn't have a single turnover in that game, it was also the most assists without a turnover in Team USA World Cup history.

It was always going to be tough for Clark to make a similar impact as she did against China, but it's still surprising to see her on the bench during crunch time.

Clark's Fever teammate, Aliyah Boston, finished with six points and added three rebounds in 20 minutes.

Caitlin Clark Will Likely Bounce Back in Team USA's Next Game

It was a tough game overall for Team USA, and this three-point victory was the lowest margin of victory the USA women's basketball national team had since 1979.

The USA also shot 28% from the field on Sunday, which is the lowest field goal percentage the women's national team has had in a game since 1971.

As for Clark, it was definitely a performance to forget for the 24-year-old. She struggled with some of the physicality that Italy had against her and just couldn't get into a groove offensively, both in terms of creating her own offense and creating for teammates.

The silver lining is that Clark almost always bounces back after poor performance, and there isn't much time for Team USA to linger on this narrow victory. They face Czechia on Monday, which will be an opportunity for them to put this game in the rearview mirror and win their group.

It will be interesting to see whether Clark gets more minutes in that game, along with whether she or Chelsea Gray are getting the most important minutes if the game is close. At the very least, fans can expect Clark to get at least one field goal.