The Silver Ferns did nothing to instil any confidence in their chances at the Commonwealth Games after holding off a feisty Uganda 64-51 in their opening game.
The last time the two sides met the Ferns beat Uganda by 43 goals.
Now ranked 7th in the world, Uganda have gone from strength to strength, and the Ferns didn't respond well to their physicality.
Coach Janine Southby experimented with a range of combinations.
Captain Katrina Grant and her deputy Maria Folau even had spells on the bench but Grant said it was planned.
"We wanted to have all 12 on the court today. It's a long 10 days and we need to keep people fresh, get them on the court and get combinations going.
"We knew Uganda was going to be tough, we haven't seen them in a while. Also the crowd lifted Uganda.
"One game down, six to go. It's a start and we're just going to carry on."
