A THRILLING late rally against Cardiff Met Archers saw Worcester Wolves claim bronze in the wheelchair basketball play-offs. 

Wolves trailed for most of Saturday's Women's Premier League third-place play-off but heroes Lena Knippelmeyer and Niamh Horan drove Worcester to their third consecutive bronze medal. 

Cardiff got off to a strong start, with their dangerous forward Jade Atkin finding good scoring form from range. 

The highlight of Worcester's first quarter was a thunderous three-point buzzer-beater from their German international Lena Knippelmeyer, but they still went into the first break 11-10 behind. 

Cardiff started the second quarter looking to build on that lead, but Knippelmeyer was simply too hot to handle for the Welsh outfit as her excellent shooting, passing range and dominating rebound figures kept Worcester in touching distance.

The second quarter saw the game become a very tactical affair, with both teams being patient with their possession and taking their time to create the best opening possible. 

Worcester trailed 25-22 going into half-time, and Cardiff threatened to move out of sight despite missing some big opportunities to score early in the third quarter. 

Two impressive post-ups and a lay-up from Katie Morrow contributed towards her side opening up a seven-point advantage with just under four minutes left in the quarter. 

But Niamh Horan's heroic second-half display made sure her team were still in the fight with her six points helping to narrow the deficit back down to three. 

Knippelmeyer levelled the game instantly at the start of the final quarter with another rocket from range before twice turning provider for Niamh Horan as her incredible form continued to give Wolves a 43-41 lead. 
 
The two sides then traded baskets in a thrilling end-to-end spell, but Horan's stunning display saw Wolves finish with a 57-51 win.  

Horan scored 20 points for the Wolves, all of which came in the second half, while Knippelmeyer helped herself to 18 points. 

Head coach Lucas Warburton said: "It was a really great game to be involved in, Cardiff started very well and were the better side for the first half. 

"At the end of the third quarter, I felt like we just started to get some momentum and we really carried it through well in the final quarter.

"The team played really well and I’m really pleased to finish my first season at Worcester with a win.”