WATCH: Breanna Stewart saves Team USA from historic defeat with controversial buzzer-beater vs. Belgium

Kelsey Plum stepped out of bounds prior to her missed jumper that Stewart tipped in

By Jack Maloney Feb 8, 2024 at 8:26 pm ET• 2 min read

Reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart saved Team USA from a historic defeat Thursday with a buzzer-beating tip-in to stun Belgium, 81-79, in a 2024 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament game in Antwerp, Belgium. It was only possible, though, due to a clear and obvious error by the referees. 

After gaining possession via a jump ball with 4.5 seconds remaining, Team USA called timeout and set up a play to go for the win. Stewart inbounded the ball to Kelsey Plum, who was initially trapped, but managed to free herself for a pull-up jumper along the baseline. It came up short, but Stewart followed the shot and tipped it back up and in with tenths of a second to spare. 

BREANNA STEWART WINS IT FOR USA 🇺🇸 AT THE BUZZER 🤯🚨#FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/IjdMGD7qS4

— FIBA (@FIBA) February 8, 2024

As it turned out, Plum only managed to escape the Belgian trap by stepping on the sideline, as pictures published in Gazet van Antwerpen, a local newspaper, show. 

In real time there were rather muted celebrations from Team USA, as the play had to be checked to see if Stewart's effort would count. But following a lengthy review at the courtside monitor, the officials determined her fingertips separated from the ball just before the red lights came on. They could not review the Plum incident, however. 

"I saw [Plum's] foot go outside. I'm almost certain she was outside," Belgian guard Julie Vanloo, who finished with a team-high 19 points and recently signed a training camp contract with the Washington Mystics, said via an English translation. "Unfortunately, VAR does not exist here."