There were also Round 5 wins for North West University (NWU), University of the Free State (Kovsies), and Stellenbosch University (Maties).

Coming into the match, defending champions Tuks were fifth on the log and UJ fourth.

Tuks scored seven goals within three minutes, and it was no surprise when coach Jenny van Dyk called for their Power Play. However, UJ came out on top in the two-minute period and closed the gap to just one point at the end of the first quarter (15-14).

The Johannesburg team tried to keep up with their opponents from across the Jukskei River, but Tuks went into half-time with a 28-22 lead. The Tuks defence held strong in the third quarter, while their goal shooters remained sharp, and the gap grew to 49-27.

It was a test of character for Tuks, who lost their opening encounter to NWU on Saturday and were narrowly beaten by Kovsies on Tuesday. They were in serious danger of not making the playoffs for the first time in five years (they have played in all finals since 2016, winning the tournament in 2017 and 2019).

Tuks showed that patience and persistence pay off and put in a good performance as a defensive unit, especially in centre court. They instinctively knew that once the ball got in the UJ goal circle, the likes of Muhluri Hlatshwayo would make them pay. In this instance, Melodine Jacobs and Tracey Mthunzi pounced on loose balls and provided crucial turnovers.

UJ coach Bongi Msomi was clearly disappointed with her team’s disjointed performance, especially after they had impressively scored more than 50 points in all their previous matches and lost by less than seven goals in their two defeats. In fact, this match was the first in which they didn’t get a bonus point. However, the performance of a youngster like 20-year-old Cornelia Mupenda as goalkeeper bodes well for a team still in a building phase.

Tuks’ Alice Kennon was named Player of the Match for her sharp shooting skills in the circle (87% goal percentage) and brilliant positional play. She said that while it took them a while to get going, they have picked up the pace and are ready for the rest of the tournament, which will resume on Friday (Thursday is a rest day).

In the second match of the day, NWU made full use of their height advantage in the goal circle to convincingly beat TUT 69-40. The Potchefstroom-based team pinned their opponents in the centre court third, not allowing the ball through to the shooters.

It was a stop-start affair for Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), who trailed 22-12 after the first quarter and 40-17 at half-time. However, the team from Pretoria exceeded expectations in the latter half of the match, and only scored two fewer goals than their opponents in the third quarter (52-27).

They went on to reach the 40-point mark for the first time in this year’s competition.

Kovsies dished out a drubbing in the penultimate match of the day when they beat a hapless University of the Western Cape (UWC) 91-29. It is the sixth time the Free State students have passed the 90-point mark since the inception of Varsity Netball in 2013, while UWC remain winless in this year’s tournament and with a 194 negative points difference.

Kovsies played with total freedom and enough time to execute their game plan, comfortably leading after each quarter – 25-7 (first), 50-13 (second) and 69-23 (third). UWC, in comparison, were completely flat, and their frustration caused the umpires to issue several cautions and warnings for persistent fouls.

Maties continued their winning streak in this year’s tournament by beating the Nelson Mandela University (Madibaz) 62-40 to remain at the top of the log.

They never looked in trouble, stretching an 18-8 lead after the first quarter to 33-14 at half-time and 49-25 after the third quarter.

Maties stuck to the basics, which kept the scoreboard ticking over regularly. It was easy pickings for the Maties defenders, who were provided with several loose balls through poor placement by the Madibaz.

Round 5 results:

Tuks 66 – 39 UJ

Player of the Match: Alice Kennon (Tuks)

NWU Eagles 69 – 40 TUT

Player of the Match: Elmere van der Berg (NWU Eagles)

UWC 29 – 91 Kovsies

Player of the Match: Bianca de Wee (Kovsies)

Maties 62 – 40 Madibaz

Player of the Match: Syntiche Kabuya (Maties)