Penny Taylor was a clear winner as she played against fellow Australian basketball great Lauren Jackson in the WNBL for the first time in over 12 years.
It was never going to be a fair comparison, with Jackson playing only her second game since the hip and knee surgery which ruled her out of the Opals' world championship campaign.
But Taylor was stellar, grabbing 30 points and seven rebounds with three blocks, two assists and two steals as her surging Dandenong Rangers team downed Jackson's Canberra Capitals 89-84 in a thrilling shootout in Canberra on Sunday.
Jackson managed 24 minutes on court and was clearly rusty, making just three of 13 field goal attempts among her 10 points and one rebound.
While she struggled, teammate Abby Bishop stepped up for the Capitals in a big way with a WNBL round-leading 34 points backed with 11 rebounds, matching Taylor with her shooting inside and out.
In her first WNBL season since 2002, Taylor's arrival has lifted Dandenong (8-7), who climbed to third on the ladder after winning their last four games.
A day earlier they accounted for the Sydney Uni Flames 93-78 in Sydney, with Taylor and Alice Kunek both scoring 21 points for the winners while Sydney slipped to fifth with a 7-7 record.
Jackson missed Canberra's Friday fright night in Townsville when they were demolished 106-58 by the league-leading Fire (11-2) as powerful forward Suzy Batkovic scored a game-high 23 points for the hosts.
Second-placed Bendigo Spirit (10-4) maintained their consistent form with an 83-70 win over the visiting West Coast Waves.
It was a tough weekend on the road for the second-last Waves who then lost 78-61 to cellar dwellers Adelaide Lightning, who claimed only their second win of the season and first in over two months.
Laura Hodges (18 points, 7 rebounds) and Angela Marino (17 points, 6 assists) were Adelaide's shining lights, while youngster Carley Mijovic also had a standout game with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
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