The NZ men have come out on top 54-50 in their landmark game against the Silver Ferns in the netball quad series in Auckland.
While the men's side have played their female counterparts frequently behind closed doors as practice, this was the first time such an encounter had been televised.
After the men crushed Fiji 93-19 in the series opener on Wednesday, there were concerns it could be a long night for the Silver Ferns.
Although they were on the wrong side of the scoreboard throughout, the Ferns used their netball savvy, experience and technical prowess to ensure they were never too far adrift, while getting the kind of physical World Cup warm-up challenge coach Noeline Taurua had sought.
Ultimately, the athleticism and sheer size of the men was too much for them to contend with, particularly 2.18m (7ft 2in) goal-shoot Junior Levi, who was near unstoppable under the basket, making a staggering 48 of his 53 shot attempts.
Ameliaranne Ekenasio was the best of the Silver Ferns, backing up her strong game against the All Stars with another stellar shooting performance in making 22 of her 23 shots.
The teams traded goals to begin the contest, ending the first quarter at relatively even pegging at 15-11 to the men.
The second quarter saw the men pull away, as they began to find their enormous shooters inside the circle with ease, until the Ferns pulled it back late to reach half-time 26-22 behind.
The third quarter saw the Ferns further reduce that deficit, heading into the final quarter just two goals behind.
They drew even at 40-40 early in the fourth, before a scoring spree from the men saw them re-establish their buffer and secure victory.
The two sides will likely meet again in Saturday's series final.
In the opening game of the evening, the NZ All Stars dominated Fiji 99-32.
Newshub.
