CANBERRA, Australia -- Lauren Jackson scored a team-high 21 points to lead Australia to an 84-66 win over New Zealand on Sunday and into a place at next year's world basketball championships in Turkey.

The Seattle Storm star is sitting out the WNBA season this year after undergoing surgery on her right hamstring in January for a chronic injury.

The game Sunday was her second since returning from the injury layoff, appearing in the two-game, total-point Oceania series against New Zealand.

The four-time Olympic medalist with Australia -- including a bronze at last year's London Games -- and three-time WNBA MVP has not played a full season in the league since 2010 when Seattle won its second championship.