Playing at Canberra’s AIS Arena for the first time since returning to the TransAct Capitals, Lauren Jackson put together a big game Friday night. Jackson scored 25 points in just over 26 minutes of action, shooting 9-of-15 from the field and 4-of-6 beyond the arc. She added eight rebounds. The effort helped Canberra overcome a feisty Dandenong Rangers squad that led much of the first half. The Capitals ended up winning going away, 83-60. Marianna Tolo also delivered a big game for Canberra, posting 16 points, eight boards and six blocks.

The outcome was not so good Friday for the Sydney Uni Acuvue Flames, who fell 89-80 at the Townsville Fire Friday, snapping an eight-game winning streak. Suzy Batkovic-Brown was valiant ind defeat, scoring 26 points and shooting 11-of-19 from the field with six rebounds. The outcome leaves Sydney and Townsville tied for second in the WNBL at 10-4 apiece, with Canberra a half-game back at 10-5. Sydney will visit Logan on Sunday before the WNBL breaks until 2010 for the holidays.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before – Wisla Can-Pack won a game in Euroleague. Behind 28 points and 17 boards from Janell Burse, Wisla crushed ESB Lille Metropole 93-73.

“I am very happy,” said Burse, who outrebounded Lille on the offensive glass 10-5 all by herself. “I think that the first quarter was great for my team – very aggressive on offense and on defense.”

It was a rough finish to group play for K.V. Imperial AEL, which lost 78-52 at Kursk Dynamo despite 15 points and five rebounds from Tanisha Wright. Though Imperial finished tied with Kursk and Municipal Targoviste, all three teams going 4-2 in Group H, point differential dropped Imperial – which had led the group entering Thursday’s game – to third place. Imperial will face Dunav Econt Ruse as the EuroCup moves into its playoffs, starting with the Sixteenth-Finals. Those games will be played on Jan. 7 and Jan. 14.

In Israel, Maccabi Ashdod has risen to second place in D-I with an 8-2 record. On Monday, Ashdod defeated Raanana Hertzeliya by an 86-64 final. Ashley Walker’s 25 points led all scorers, and she also pulled down nine boards. Walker is averaging 20.8 points (sixth), 6.8 boards and 2.4 assists per game and ranks fifth in the league in field goal percentage (.594).

With Lauren Jackson in the lineup for the first time since 2006, the Canberra TransAct Capitals crushed the host Perth Lynx 102-62 Saturday night. For Jackson, it was a successful return to the court. She played 22 minutes and, while her shooting showed a little rust after a three-month layoff (7-of-18 from the field, including 2-of-6 form downtown), Jackson still dominated. Her 18 points were a game high, and she added eight boards.

The win pushed Canberra to 9-5, good for fourth in the WNBL. The Capitals will host Dandenong next Friday in the last round before the holiday break.

More than three months after the diagnosis of a stress fracture in her lower back, Storm center Lauren Jackson will return to game action Saturday when her Canberra TransAct Capitals travel to Perth. It’s also Jackson’s first WNBL game since 2006, and she’s excited.

‘I’m not nervous, I’m just eager and really excited just to play,” Jackson told the Canberra Times.

The game will be broadcast online here, although if my math is correct, it will be at 3:15 a.m. Seattle time, so the replay may be more useful if you value your sleep.

At 8-5, Canberra is tied for fourth place in the WNBL. One of the teams the Capitals are looking up at is the Sydney Uni Acuvue Flames, who at 9-3 are tied for second. Sydney went 5-0 in the month of November, helping earn Suzy Batkovic-Brown WNBL Player of the Month honors. She averaged 23.2 points and 11.4 rebounds in November, posting four double-doubles in five games.

- Another game, another thrilling – but successful – finish for Wisla Can-Pack in Euroleague play. Playing at Mizo Pecs, Wisla trailed much of the fourth quarter before taking the lead for good on a Katerina Zohnová three-pointer with 1:41 to play. Janell Burse scored on Wisla’s next two possessions, then blocked one of Mizo Pecs’ desperation attempts to tie in the dying seconds as Wisla held on for a 74-71 win.

For the first time in Euroleague play, Burse did not have a double-double. Instead, all she did was score 13 points and grab six boards. Burse is still the Euroleague’s leading rebounder. Marta Fernandez scored 25 to lead Wisla.

- Over in EuroCup, K.V. Imperial AEL defeated Samsun Basketball 53-40 in a defensive struggle. Tanisha Wright powered the Imperial offense with 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had eight steals. Camille Little had seven points and seven boards on a night where she shot the ball poorly. The win guarantees 4-1 Imperial at least a share of first place in Group H pending next Thursday’s matchup at 3-2 Dynamo Kursk. A Dynamo win and Municipal Targoviste beating winless Samsun Basketball would mean a three-way tie atop Group H with all three teams having split the head-to-head matchups.

- In Israel, Maccabi Ashdod cruised past Hapoel Tel Aviv 86-66. Ashley Walker scored a game-high 24 points on 12-of-16 shooting. Courtney Paris scored 23 points and grabbed 21 rebounds.