Proteas aim to keep the Spar Challenge trophy at home

South Africa were handed a tough start to their second test of the tournament, but ultimately overcame Malawi by 69-38 to secure a win at the Ellis Park Arena on Saturday.

Speaking at a post-match presser, Mdodana says it is good to see that the team can really show up under pressure despite not getting enough time to train as a collective.

"Yes, that was definitely the objective for us we wanted to make sure that the trophy is staying at home. Very happy with the performance, considering the way we started in first quarter, and the way we were able to change gears in the second, third and fourth,” Mdodana said.

“Even trying different combinations and how well these combinations slaughtered in. Haven't really given them much time in training but it was good to see that under pressure in a test series, the girls can really put their best foot forward. So, happy with the outcome."

READ: Maud Khumalo praises her youthful team despite COSAFA final defeat

The Malawi Queens looked determined on day two, hoping to turn things around in the opening quarter - coming out firing and managing to open up a three-goal lead.

The visitors came close to winning the first quarter, but the home side managed to level matters at 13-13 by the end of the first period.

Mdodana says it was good to witness the team’s quick response against Malawi from the second quarter.

"We knew, Malawi were gonna come out all guns blazing. We knew they were gonna stay with us for at least the first half of the game. They weren't gonna rest on their laurels, they really showed up in that first half but it was also good to see our ability to reinvent ourselves and change it up and find solutions to what they were throwing at us on the court," the coach added.

Mdodana added on her expectations ahead of the third and final day for the series, with the match resuming at 15:00 at the Ellis Park Arena this afternoon.

"Yes, now that we know that Malawi are obviously going to obviously wanna go back home with at least a win. I don't think they would wanna leave here without one and we saw how they started today.

“We are very much prepared for [them]. We need to hit the ground running in that first quarter, we need to have a much better start and look to win by the biggest margin ever by Spar Proteas team and that is very possible.

“We need to win by 42 goals difference in order for us to hold that record and that is something that we are gonna go for."