It was one of the tightest starts of the tournament, with Malawi edging ahead only for South Africa to respond immediately. South Africa soon found their rhythm and pulled clear, leading 7–3. With four minutes left in the first quarter, South Africa began to grow in confidence, extending their lead to 12–7. By the end of the quarter, South Africa were firmly in control at 44–27. Malawi, out of steam, went scoreless for much of the quarter as South Africa surged to 53–28.