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Maria Tutaia - Source: Photosport
The Silver Ferns have won a typically tight contest against Australia, edging them 49-48 in the first Test in Perth this afternoon.
The win will go some way to erasing some of the heartbreak from their overtime World Championship loss to the Diamonds three months ago and ensures a winning start for new coach Wai Taumaunu.
New Zealand led at every break and led by as many as 10 early in the second half before the Australians came roaring back into the match in the final quarter.
The Diamonds took the lead for the first time with four minutes remaining in the match and led by two with three minutes to play, before New Zealand regathered their composure allowing Maria Tutaia to nail the match-winning shot 30 seconds from time.
The superior shooting of New Zealand made the difference between the two sides, with Australia putting up five more shots. Australian captain Catherine Cox struggled in the shooting circle only managing 14 from 23.
Irene van Dyk was as reliable as ever nailing 27 of her 29 attempts, while Tutaia added 22 from 30. Van Dyk was also a strong presence under the hoop, picking up five rebounds from Tutaia's missed long range attempts.
The Silver Ferns got off to a flying start, racing away to a 3-0 lead and stretched the gap to six at one stage during the first quarter before Australia narrowed the gap to trail 18-13 at the first break.
New Zealand continued their dominance throughout the second quarter. Australia got plenty of ball into their shooters, but couldn't convert and despite putting up more shots than the Silver Ferns in the first half, they trailed 28-22 at half-time.
The Silver Ferns came out fired up after a power failure delayed the start of the second half and quickly blew the score out to 33-22. However the Diamonds wouldn't lie down and hung on to trail by five going into the final stanza.
From there the Australian confidence began to lift and it wasn't long before they'd erased the deficit at 44-44. From there they stretched out to a two goal lead, before the Ferns produced two big stops and secured the win.
The second match in the three game series is on Wednesday night.
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