Silver Ferns - 58 Aotearoa Men - 47
FULLTIME - Gritty effort by the Ferns to fight back and claim an ultimately comfortable win over Aotearoa men. Click here for a full wrap.
Fourth quarter
1 min - Geldard nets his first in what feels like an age. This will be a comfortable win for the ladies.
2 mins - Lack of preparation coming to the fore now for the men. Ferns still have a spring in their step.
4 mins - Saunders making a real impact here, great speed of delivery. Ferns defence rolling now, claiming another turnover.
7 mins - Offside errors from the men. Nweke happy to oblige.
10 mins - Jury snares another interception. Ferns patient with their attack, Nweke benefits. Ferns just starting to pull away a bit here, momentum on their side.
13 mins - Jury battling hard with the giant frame of Geldard. The big man still manages to get a good look at the basket. Wilson takes the Ferns out to a three-goal lead.
15 mins - Shannon Saunders into the mix for the Ferns. Jury gobbles up a sloppy pass and Nweke makes the men pay.
End of third quarter (38-37)
2 mins - Wilson/Nweke combo working much better for the Ferns. Tie game. Wilson drains a deep baseline shot to close the quarter.
4 mins - Lovely scoop pass inside for Geldard to score. Miss at the Ferns end and Vercoe finds the big man for another.
7 mins - Jury with active hands in the defensive circle, tips the pass for Gordon to break. Nweke cashes in, two point lead for the men.
9 mins - Crampton soars for an interception at midcourt. Another rebound from Nweke. They're really battling inside. Heffernan takes the court for the first time for NZ.
12 mins - Geldard splashes a couple for the men. Great speed along the baseline and the men edge further ahead.
15 mins - Second half underway with another Nweke bucket.
HALFTIME (24-24)
1 min - Nweke on hand again to clean up a Selby-Rickit miss.
3 mins - Men struggling to find their targets inside, while Nweke uses her height advantage to bag another.
5 mins - More superb defence from Burger leads to Nweke goals. Great fight back here by the Ferns to tie the game.
8 mins - Better defence from the Ferns, forcing an errant pass inside. Another great rebound by Nweke off a Hume miss to convert.
10 mins - Nweke does well to tip a dicey pass back to herself and avoid the outstretched arms of the defenders. Nets it.
11 mins - Great hussle on the offensive boards by Nweke, who sinks one on the second go-round. Cuts the lead to six.
14 mins - Geldard continues to feast under the bucket. Nweke bags her first of the night.
15 mins - Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua tells her troops to "stop fart-arseing around" with the ball in the attacking zones. Brilliant.
Plenty of changes for NZ, including Grace Nweke in at GS.
End of first quarter (9-16)
1 min - Geldard converts from close range. Selby-Rickit clanks another one, Ferns shooters are are sitting at a lowly 64 percent success rate here early.
3 min - Ferns' attacking combinations haven't found their rhythm. Meanwhile, the men are slinging bullets from midcourt for Geldard to cash in.
5 mins - Great defensive pressure from Godsmark-White to force a Gordon turnover. Geldard with a raer miss for the men. Makes up for it shortly after.
8 mins - Gordon links with Selby-Rickit for another Ferns goal. Showtime from the men, as they sink a one-footed layup.
10 mins - Selby-Rickit rattles one in. Lovely long ball for the towering men's goal shoot to finish.
12 mins - Men's defenders making the early going difficult for the Ferns. Wilson pulls one back.
13 mins - Deflection leads to two-straight baskets for the men.
7:08pm - We're just minutes away from the opening pass. Here's the starting line-up for the Ferns.
***
Kia ora and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the first of three contestst between the Silver Ferns against the Aotearoa Men in the capital.
The world champion Ferns have lost their last three games against their male counterparts and although victory will be near the top of the agenda, coach Dame Noeline Taurua insists the focus for the three-match series will be experimenting with combinations and developing talent.
But the men's side should be ripe for the taking, missing six of its Auckland and Waikato-based players - including captain Kruze Tangira - who were denied travel exemptions to leave their regional lockdowns to make the trip to Wellington.
The Silver Ferns will be without midcourter Sam Winders, as she continues rehab on a lower back strain, while shooter Tiana Metuarau is yet to overcome her abductor strain suffered during the series against England last month.
The news is much better for captain Gina Crampton, who'll return to the court at centre, after missing the second and third tests against the Roses.
We'll have all the action for you from 7pm.
TAB betting odds: Silver Ferns - $1.70, Aotearoa Men - $2.00
Silver Ferns: Jamie Hume , Grace Nweke, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Maia Wilson, Gina Crampton (capt.), Maddy Gordon, Kate Heffernan, Claire Kersten, Shannon Saunders, Karin Burger, Kelly Jury, Georgia Tong
