A milestone match for three Australian Diamonds did not go the way of the green and gold, trailing from the jump as New Zealand claimed Constellation Cup Test 1 56-50.
It was a momentous occasion for Courtney Bruce, who became just the seventh Diamond centurion at Auckland's Spark Arena on Sunday night.
Sophie Garbin notched her 50th cap in what has been an excellent career to-date, while up-and-coming star Jessie Grenvold made her debut in green and gold.
The Ferns took an early lead which became the ongoing buffer, forcing the Diamonds to rotate fruitfully to find scoring opportunities.
The physical clash was heavy from the get-go, with early blocks from Kelly Jackson and Karin Burger causing trouble in the Diamonds attack.
A confident Bruce earned an early tip on Ferns goal shooter Grace Nweke, but New Zealand's speed in transition from sisters Kate and Georgia Heffernan kept the Diamonds on the back foot with a five goal deficit at the first break.
The 17-12 second quarter did the bulk of the damage, with the Ferns' defensive pressure continuing to cause havoc down the court and extending the margin to 10 goals (32-22) at the main break.
But an improved third quarter put confidence back into the Diamonds, as Sophie Garbin found the post and the defensive unit found more hands to ball.
Jamie-Lee Price shone bright in the second half, relishing the extra space out the front in centre, while Sarah Klau formed a dangerous pairing with Grenvold in the late stages of the match.
While the Diamonds found the right gear in the final 15 minutes, winning the quarter 17-10, the damage had already been done as the Ferns claimed the first test by six goals.
Test Two will take place on Wednesday evening in Christchurch, NZ, before the series returns to Australian shores on Sunday October 25 (Sydney) and Wednesday October 28 (Melbourne).
