It was a historic first-time meeting between South Africa and Tonga Talas on Friday, and it was the hosts that came out on top with a 72-46 win to progress to the fifth-place playoff on Sunday.
The teams are bidding for semifinal spots and a victory would’ve been the ideal outcome for the South Africans, but a draw, in this manner, is a very good substitution.
South Africa still have a shot at a spot in the semifinals, even though they will have to rely on the ‘Sunshine Girls’ in the earlier game to overcome the Kiwis to help the hosts go through to the final four.