CAITLIN CLARK GOES 0-FOR-6… THEN GETS BENCHED AS TEAM USA NEARLY COLLAPSES AGAINST ITALY
55-52.
Read that score again.
Team USA — loaded with WNBA superstars — barely escaped Italy by three points.
And somehow, the biggest conversation coming out of the game isn’t just about the shocking offensive collapse.
It’s about Caitlin Clark.
Just 48 hours after Clark delivered 14 points and 11 assists in her World Cup debut, she suddenly couldn’t buy a basket.
Zero-for-six from the field.
Zero-for-three from three.
One point.
Four rebounds.
One assist.
And when the game reached its most important moments, Clark was sitting on the bench.
Meanwhile, Angel Reese was on the floor helping Team USA survive the final stretch.
You already know what happened next.
Social media exploded.
FROM MVP TO 0-FOR-6 IN JUST TWO DAYS
Let’s be honest.
This wasn’t Caitlin Clark’s game.
There is no reason to pretend otherwise.
She struggled from the opening minutes and never found her rhythm.
But here’s where things get interesting.
Only two days earlier, Clark looked completely different.
Against China, she recorded:
14 points.
11 assists.
0 turnovers.
She immediately showed the playmaking ability that made her one of the most talked-about players in women’s basketball.
She pushed the pace.
She found teammates before the defense could get organized.
She created open looks.
She made the game easier for everyone around her.
Then Italy happened.
And suddenly, the conversation changed completely.
One bad shooting night was enough for some people to start questioning whether Clark should even have a bigger role.
But is that really the story?
Or are we missing something much bigger?
TEAM USA SCORED ONLY 55 POINTS
This is the part that shouldn’t be ignored.
Caitlin Clark wasn’t the only player struggling.
Team USA as a whole was struggling.
The Americans finished the game shooting just 16-for-56 from the field.
That’s under 30%.
From three-point range?
1-for-12.
One.
Three-pointer.
The entire game.
Think about the names on this roster.
Breanna Stewart.
Napheesa Collier.
Chelsea Gray.
Kahleah Copper.
Jackie Young.
Caitlin Clark.
Paige Bueckers.
Angel Reese.
This isn’t some ordinary roster.
Yet the entire group scored just 55 points against Italy.
At times, the offense looked completely stuck.
Players stood around.
The ball stopped moving.
Shots came late in the shot clock.
Open opportunities disappeared.
And Italy started believing something that probably seemed impossible at the beginning of the afternoon:
They could actually win this game.
AND THEN ANGEL REESE ENTERED THE CONVERSATION
Angel Reese finished with 8 points and gave Team USA valuable energy around the basket.
She was physical.
She competed defensively.
And when the game reached its final minutes, she was one of the players trusted on the floor.
Caitlin Clark?
She was on the bench.
That’s all it took.
The Clark-Reese debate immediately returned.
One side pointed to Reese’s production and late-game minutes.
The other side pointed to Clark’s performance against China and questioned why her playmaking wasn’t being utilized more when the offense desperately needed creation.
Suddenly, a single game became another chapter in a rivalry that has followed these two players for years.
But here’s the problem:
Basketball doesn’t work on a one-game scoreboard.
Clark had a terrible shooting game.
Reese had a solid contribution.
Both things can be true without turning the entire situation into a declaration that one player has suddenly replaced the other.
THE REAL QUESTION: WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH TEAM USA’S ROTATION?
This is where the criticism surrounding head coach Cara Lawson began to intensify.
Why did Team USA continue relying so heavily on veteran lineups while the offense was struggling?
Why weren’t the younger players used more aggressively?
And most importantly:
Why wasn’t Caitlin Clark given more opportunities to dictate the offense after showing what she could do just two days earlier?
These aren’t questions about whether Clark deserves special treatment.
They’re questions about how Team USA wants to play.
Clark is at her most dangerous when she can push the pace, bring the ball up, force defenders to make decisions and create opportun
