This certainly wasn’t the game the United States and the 'UConn Three' expected to play on Sunday at the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin.

The top-ranked Americans narrowly defeated Italy 55-52 to avoid their first World Cup loss in 20 years. The 14th-ranked Italians were striving to become the first team since Russia in September 2006 to beat the U.S., who now have 32 consecutive wins.

It was an off shooting day for the Americans, including former UConn stars Breanna Stewart (1-for-9), Napheesa Collier (2-for-5) and Paige Bueckers (2-for-5), with leading scorer Jackie Young the only player to hit more than 40% of her shots.

Young had 10 points as the U.S. moved to 2-0 in the tournament and will play in the quarterfinals.

Caitlin Clark, after a stellar World Cup debut in a 94-61 win Friday against China, managed just one point and was 0-for-6 from the floor.

Against China, Bueckers was one of three Americans to lead the scoring with 14 points. She had seven on Sunday, adding five rebounds and two assists.

But, overall, the U.S. shot 28.6% (16-of-56) from the field and 8.3% (1-for-12) from 3-point territory.

Italy wasn’t much better at 31.0% (18-for-58).

While the U.S. team is full of WNBA stars, Italy has just one player on a WNBA active roster: Cecilia Zandalasini of the Golden State Valkyries, who led Team Italy with 14 points and added seven rebounds. Her teammate, Costanza Verona, is a Dallas Wings developmental player.

The United States jumped to a 19-8 lead in the first, but the Italians narrowed the score to 30-24 at the half.

Bueckers was all over the court in the first 20 minutes, recording four points, two steals, three rebounds, two blocks and an assist. Stewart scored two points and had seven rebounds on her way to a team-high 11 rebounds, and Collier added three points in the half.

The teams traded quick baskets – including one by Collier – in the first minute of the third quarter, moving the score to 32-26, but the U.S. didn’t score again for five minutes. After a 9-0 run to put Italy up 35-32, the Americans scored 10 points in the final 4:16 – the scoring included a 3-pointer from Bueckers and a free throw from Stewart – to put up 10 quick points and lead 42-39 after three quarters.

Neither team could wrest control in the fourth, each scoring 13 points. Stewart pulled down two key defensive rebounds in the final 90 seconds.

Stewart was 12 the last time the U.S. lost in the tournament, and the Americans are pursuing a fifth consecutive world title and 12th overall. Only the Soviet Union won five straight championships, coming in a span from 1959 to 1975.

Stewart played in her first World Cup in 2014 and is chasing her fourth championship, which would tie her with another former UConn great – Sue Bird, who assembled this team as national team managing director for USA Basketball – for the most by an American woman.

A star with the New York Liberty, Stewart told reporters after the game that the U.S. will take the victory.

"Italy really kind of mucked up the game for us a little bit and made it difficult for us to score. But tough team, tons of respect to what they've done and just proud of the resiliency of this (U.S.) group," she said.

"We haven't had a lot of time together and when things really mattered down the stretch, we were able to get big stops. Offensively, get good baskets. A win is a win."

The United States has one group-round game remaining, coming Monday against 17th-ranked Czechia.