With key players away on Diamond Challenge duty, it was up to the Tuks youngsters to make sure that they finished an unbeaten first in their final round game against the Vaal University of Technology. Kim-Lee Swanepoel and Unelle Snyman got their first starts for the team this season.
It was a run-away start from the home side as the new combinations seemed to be working well for them. That, along with a strong defence, restricted their opponents to a 25 points to 6 lead.
It was more of the same in the second quarter as VUT struggled to compete with the Tuks defensive prowess which led to enterprising plays in attack, Tuks were able to add more than double to their first quarter score. The half time score read VUT 10 – Tuks 48.
The second half was more of the same as Tuks looked on course for the highest victory margin of the competition so far; their clinical performance in the shooting circle was a marvel to watch as they surged further ahead.
It was surprisingly a much tighter contest in the power play, as VUT restricted the home side to just six points, as they themselves scored four. The third quarter ended with Tuks leading 70 points to VUT’s 20.
It was a matter of “by how much” in the final quarter, as the Pretoria ladies were simply too much for the visitors, however the Vaal team showed some resilience in the second power play as they were able to restrict Tuks to just a single goal.
It was outside the power plays that Tuks were able to do the most damage. It’s been a return to form for Tuks goal scorer, Melissa Kotze, who earned FNB Player of the Match in this encounter.
Final score, Tuks 91-VUT 24. This sees the Vaal University finish without a victory in their 2016 campaign, while at the opposite end of the spectrum, the University of Pretoria finish first on the log, with an unbeaten record going into next week’s crunch semi-final.
FNB Player of the Match: Melissa Kotze (Tuks)
Teams:
Tuks: Melissa Kotze, Chantelle Swart, Kim-Lee Swanepoel, Shongile Hlugwane, Juzelri Garbers, Shadine vd Merwe (captain), Unelle Snyman
VUT: Jerminah Nteso, Nokwanda Khumalo, Ichelle Mnisi, Silondile Mlondo, Palesa Mazibuko, Linky Mkhwantheli, Buhle Radebe
By Theriso Lethuloe
