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July 17, 2010
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Birmingham, England (July 17) – World Championship success finally came to the USA National Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team with a 55-53 win over Germany at the 2010 IWBF World Championships. The tournament is being held in Birmingham, England as a lead-up to the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
It’s the first world championship for the USA women who have taken gold at the last two Paralympic Games in Athens and Beijing. Canada, whom the USA beat in semifinal play, had won the last three world championships.
The USA is coached by Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcat player and junior team coach David Kiley, a former Paralympian and already an NWBA Hall of Fame member. Kiley will coach the team through London 2012. On the team are Rollin’ Bobcats players Dr. Andrea Woodson-Smith and Caitlin McDermott. Woodson-Smith is a professor at North Carolina Central University and resides in Durham. McDermott, of Charlotte, is a rising senior at Ardrey Kell High School and is the youngest member of the American team.
Another player with North Carolina roots is two-time Paralympic gold medalist Stephanie Wheeler, originally from Norlina. She is now the head coach for the University of Illinois women’s wheelchair basketball team where she played collegiate ball.
It was the closest game of the tournament for the USA (7-0)
Becca Murray led the Americans with 25 points on 71% (12-17) shooting. Christina Ripp followed with 8 points and 9 assists while Woodson Smith scored 7 points and led the team with 7 rebounds. Natalie Schneider also scored 7 for the USA.
Marina Mohnen led Germany with 18 followed by Gesche Schunemann with 15.
Germany, who lost to the USA in the Beijing Paralympic final, started strong hitting 54% of their shots in the first half and leading by as much as six points before the Americans came back to regain the lead 27-26 on a Murray three-pointer. Germany held on though and led 30-29 at the half. Murray scored 17 in the first half to keep the USA in the game.
The third quarter was marked by poor shooting from both teams. With stalwart Ripp, who had scored 24 points in a 65-53 preliminary round win over Germany, shooting an uncharacteristic 0-9 through the first three quarters, it was all Murray all the time for the USA. But it was a Ripp tide in the fourth with all of her points coming in the final quarter. She finally knocked the lid off the rim with two free throws at 9:13 left and scored the next two baskets to put the Americans up 50-48 with 3:35 to play.
A three point play by Schunemann gave Germany the lead 53-52 at 2:13. The USA missed several good chances to regain the lead but forced a jump ball on defense that gave them possession back with only 37 seconds left in the game.
The USA stayed composed, looked for an opening, and Ripp found Murray going to the rim for the winning basket with 25 seconds left. Coach David Kiley put center Woodson-Smith back in and it paid off when she blocked Simone Kues’ shot with six seconds on the clock to protect the one point lead.
A Schneider free throw pushed the final margin to two and a long desperation shot by Schunemann fell short as time expired.
Prior to the women’s final, USA men beat Italy 71-42 for the bronze medal.
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