Stacks on:England celebrate their gold medal.Credit:AAP
Unbackable favourites before the match,Australia were outscored 16-13 in the final quarter as England produced their second thrilling victory in as many days after needing until the final seconds to get past Jamaica in the semi-finals.
Surely,after that effort,beating Australia on their home court would be a bridge too far. But England are made of stern stuff and Australia and New Zealand,the traditional powers of the sport,have a brash new rival on the scene.
Steph Wood had helped steady Australia with some ice-cold shooting in the third quarter but it was her miss with 1:20 left on the clock,Australia down 51-50,that gave England a sniff.
But when their shot rattled out with the away-team bounce and captain Caitlin Bassett levelled scores at 51-51,most thought Australia's class and poise would win the day.
England had other ideas. They had the centre pass with 13 seconds left,found their way inside the circle,earned a penalty and Helen Housby did the honours after the siren for a 52-51 triumph in one of the best contests of the Games.
Turnovers killed the Australians,who gave the ball away seven more times than England and five times in the last quarter to England's none. The visitors had not beaten Australia since 2013 but got the results when it counted most.
The Australians regroup after defeat as Beth Cobden celebrates.Credit:AAP
They celebrated wildly,falling to the court in disbelief. After almost missing a medal completely,they were now destined for the top of the podium and a trip home with a swag of gold.