In a rematch of the Beijing 2008 final, the Germans had quickly erased a 36-33 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to set up a thrilling finish that saw eight lead changes down the stretch.

It was Mohnen who capped the Group B win with a lay-up followed by two free throws, as it finished 54-48.

Germany are off to a 1-0 start after having a day off yesterday, while the Americans drop to 1-1.

Hosts Great Britain were left with a problem after slumping to a 51-24 Group A defeat to Australia that left their coach Garry Peel furious.

Australia, bronze medallists in 2008, dominated the game in every department as Britain shot just 21 per cent from the field and failed to make any real impression.

'They know what's coming,' Peel said of his planned post-game team-talk. 'They know that's not the way we play.'

It was a big improvement for Australia, however, after they were made to battle to a 52-50 win over Brazil yesterday.

There was less drama on the men's side, where the USA recovered from yesterday's shock loss to Turkey by beating Italy 77-51 behind 24 points from Jason Nelms and 22 from Nate Hinze.

Also in Group A, Spain improved to 2-0 with a 74-50 win over South Africa, with Alejandro Zarzuela Beltran scoring 24 and Ismael Garcia Moreno 22.

In Group B, Mateusz Filipski had 24 points to lead Poland to a 78-53 win over Japan, while Sebastian Wolk and Dirk Passiwan teamed up to lead Germany to win number two, beating Colombia 59-46.