49 Germany vs Netherlands 46
LONDON, 6 September
Marina MOHNEN (GER) scored a game-high 20 points as Germany pulled out a dramatic 49-46 semifinal victory over the Netherlands to secure a women's wheelchair gold medal clash with Australia.
It gives the Germans an opportunity to improve on their silver from the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, but they had to wait until the last second of the game before their passage was confirmed as Carolina DE ROOIJ-VERSLOOT (NED) saw her three-point attempt, which would have forced overtime, miss its target.
It concluded a thrilling contest in which the lead changed hands eight times as both teams threatened to pull clear, but it was MOHNEN who steered Germany to safety, converting her side's final four points in a 6-2 concluding run that preserved their unbeaten record at London 2012.
The Netherlands recovered from conceding the game's first 10 points to give their European rivals a tough examination, using a 12-0 burst in the second period to surge towards a 29-24 half-time advantage.
Mariska BEIJER (NED) hit the opening basket of the third period to hand the Dutch their biggest lead, but Gesche SCHUENEMANN (GER) finished off a flurry of eight unanswered points as the deficit was erased again.
The lead was exchanged four times more, but the Germans never trailed again after Annika ZEYEN (GER) converted in the paint with 2:21 left.
And although MOHNEN missed two late free throws, the Dutch were forced to take the long-range option on their last possession, but it proved beyond reach.
Inge HUITZING (NED) had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Netherlands with BEIJER also completing a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
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