Tuks secured a semi-final spot with a home victory against UWC in Pretoria on Monday evening, winning 87-46.
The University of Pretoria were looking to finish strong and secure a top four finish when they took on the University of the Western Cape at the Rembrandt Hall. This was the Pretoria side’s first home match of the season as the institution celebrated 70 years of TuksNetball.
The defending champions had some of its players returning from national duty. It was a bit of a sluggish start to the match by both teams but it did not last long as the blitz Tuks team surged to a 18-13 lead in the first quarter before a few clever interceptions saw them storm into a substantial 15-point lead at halftime despite a somewhat wasted power play which saw them score 2 to UWC’s 1. The halftime score was 39-24.
The home team performed in front of a heritage day crowd as Venetia Grobler continued with the form we saw her establish before the break as she maintained 96% accuracy rate through the first half. This enabled the University of Pretoria to press on for a bonus-point victory in the second half and they did just that as they began with an intercept by Marlize de Bruin which was dually converted by Grobler. UWC then called their power play and drew first blood as Zauna scored first, they would add another one but it was Tuks who were able to score 3, surging their score past the 50-point mark.
The young UWC team showed a lot of promise in their last match of the Varsity Netball season as the tall Jaumbuaije Zauana and captain Keesha van Schalkwyk showed a fighting spirit with Zauana converting a number of the opportunities offered to her. They went into the final quarter 63-35 down. It was a feisty end to the match as the defending champions fought for every point, making UWC work hard for theirs, with three long-range shots in the dying minutes. The defending champions did all they could to secure a semi-final spot. Full time score: Tuks 87-46 UWC.
Wimpy Moment Maker: Marlize de Bruin
Samsung Best Shot: Jaumbuaije Zauana
FNB Player of the Match: Tshinakaho Mdau
By Theriso Lethuloe
