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Team USA guard Caitlin Clark's FIBA World Cup shooting struggles continue 
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Team USA guard Caitlin Clark's FIBA World Cup shooting struggles continue 

By Clark Dalton  |  Last updated Sep 6, 2026 7:30 PM ET
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Team USA's offense goes as guard Caitlin Clark goes. When she goes cold, it conks out. 

Team USA faced Team Italy in its second Group D match at the FIBA Women's World Cup in Berlin on Sunday. Clark struggled mightily in the contest. 

Caitlin Clark couldn't find her shooting touch against Italy 

Clark, who hasn't been in the starting lineup, scored one point in 18:30 of playing time, going 0-of-6 from the field and 0-of-3 from the three-point line. According to ESPN Insights, it's the first time the Indiana Fever star has gone scoreless from the field in a WNBA or collegiate game. 

Team USA won 55-52, punching its ticket to the quarterfinals, but it shouldn't be satisfied with its performance. Per ESPN's Alex Philippou, the United States' total marked its lowest score in a World Cup game since 1971. The squad shot a subpar 28.6 percent from the field (16-of-56 attempts).  

"Sometimes it's good to be tested like this," Team USA head coach Kara Lawson said in a postgame interview with TNT Sports' Allie LaForce. "You see where your weaknesses are, and we know exactly where we need to improve."

Those adjustments, though, may not work if Clark can't find her offensive groove. In two games at the World Cup, she has averaged 7.5 points per game on 26.7 percent shooting from the field.

Clark may be playing less aggressively on a stacked squad that includes guard Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings) and forwards Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), Angel Reese (Atlanta Dream) and Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx). Sometimes, that's a good thing. That increases ball movement, improving the offense's flow. See no further than when she logged 11 assists in a 91-64 win over Team China in America's first group match, setting a record for a Team USA debut. 

To win the tournament, though, Team USA will need Clark to take over a game at some point. Monitor whether she rebounds in its final group match against Team Czechia on Monday (TNT, 2:45 p.m. ET). 

Clark Dalton
X Muck Rack

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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