THE 2023 FIBA World Cup quarterfinals kicked off last night, with a pair of games taking place to determine the final four teams left standing in the tournament.

Following Serbia’s win over Lithuania, the second match saw Italy look to take down Team USA with a big upset win. Lithuania had shown the blueprint on how to defeat the United States earlier in the week, stunning the competition favourites with a six-point win, so Italy was looking to follow suit.

Unfortunately for the Italians, Team USA hit its straps on Tuesday night, getting back to its dominant best with an emphatic performance. The United States controlled the game from start to finish, en route to a 37-point win.

The game started with Team USA looking a far different outfit to the one that fell to Lithuania a few days ago. Ball movement looked much quicker, and the likes of Tyrese Haliburton were punishing Italy from behind the arc. There was simply more energy in the team, and they took a 10-point lead into the first change.

Quarter number two was more of the same, with Italy suddenly rattled on both ends. The shots were just not falling, posting only 10 points in the period, while Team USA extended the margin out to 22 points at half time, building nicely into the main break.

Although Italy attempted to make adjustments at half-time, the United States exploded from the field in the third quarter, getting everyone involved for a powerful offensive quarter. Shots were falling from everywhere, and even when the attempts were wayward, offensive rebounds were still up for grabs. This was emphasised perfectly by Austin Reaves, who crashed the glass to thrown down a thunderous putback dunk.

Heading into the final term, Italy trailed by 39 points, with the contest essentially over at this stage, bar the greatest sporting comeback of all time.

Team USA took the foot off the gas in the final term, resting the starters ahead of the penultimate game in the coming days. It allowed the Italians to finally win a quarter, albeit by just two points, as the United States showcased their depth by bringing on some quality talent in the dying stages of the match.

Mikal Bridges led all-comers on the scoring front with 24 points in his best performance of the tournament to date. His biggest strength was his accuracy, making eight shots on 11 attempts from the field, including going 4/6 from downtown. Not far behind him was Haliburton, who was everywhere with 18 points (6/8 3PT), four rebounds and five assists.

Simone Fontecchio finished off an eye-catching campaign with a team-high 18 points in the loss.

Italy’s campaign is now over, while Team USA will take on the winner of Germany and Latvia in the semi-finals in the coming days.