You could forgive an 18-year-old rookie for taking some time to find their feet at the elite level - but then again, Jade Melbourne hardly seems an average teenager.
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The Canberra Capitals young gun played a key role as her side capped off a frantic 24 hours with a 76-56 thrashing of the Bendigo Spirit at Mackay Stadium on Monday night.
The return of key trio Kelsey Griffin, Britt Smart and Tahlia Tupaea gave Paul Goriss a full-strength roster for the first time this season.
Griffin looked as though she hadn't missed a beat as the Capitals took a six-point lead into the first break, as if anyone would expect any less from the former WNBL most valuable player.
The injury clouds which hovered over Mikaela Ruef and Marianna Tolo seem to have almost disappeared completely.
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But it was aggressive young gun Melbourne who caught the eye for a star-studded Canberra side, living up to the "smiling assassin" moniker bestowed upon her by Goriss.
Melbourne added a team-high 14 points while Maddison Rocci added 12. Carley Ernst led the way with 15 for Bendigo.
"I'm glad the first game is out of the way, a little bit nervous in the first one. Now I'm a bit more comfortable where I am," Melbourne said.
"You feel a little [intimidated] but obviously I'm here for a purpose. I just try to play my game, stick to my strengths, do what I've always done. That gave me a little bit of confidence going forward.
"I'm comfortable in [my role], that's where I've been asked to play. Whenever I see an opportunity, I try to grab it, take it to the rim, be aggressive. That's how I've always played so I'm trying to bring that when I can."
The clash marked Canberra's second in less than 24 hours after Maddison Rocci's career-high 24 points guided the Capitals to a win over the Townsville Fire on Sunday night.
The secret to recovering and putting in a dominant performance despite a short turnaround?
"Tolo's mum made us a lasagne," Melbourne smiled.
The Capitals have a day to recover before setting their sights on a clash with the Melbourne Boomers in Mackay on Wednesday night, in what looms as their toughest test to date.
"It was a great game by all of us tonight, we got through our sets, we got the looks we wanted. I was just happy I was able to connect on some of them," Melbourne said on Kayo's post-game coverage.
"[Goriss] was telling us to attack the rim, try to take them one-on-one, come off pick and rolls and take advantage of mismatches. We were able to do that, we were able to get some really good looks, and everyone was able to connect on them.
"Tonight we'll just make sure we get back, recover, get fuelled up, look after the little things. We'll go over the film and review what we need to work on.
"I'm sure we will look at some defensive and offensive clips. We'll just look at that and get better for the next game."
AT A GLANCE
WNBL: CANBERRA CAPITALS 76 (Jade Melbourne 14, Maddison Rocci 12, Mikaela Ruef 11) bt BENDIGO SPIRIT 56 (Carley Ernst 15, Tessa Lavey 13, Amelia Todhunter 7) at Mackay Stadium.