California Irvine Athletics

IRVINE, Calif. – Incoming freshman Despoina Baltzi recently competed at the FIBA U18 Women's EuroBasket in La Palma, Spain, July 5-13.
 
Baltzi started all seven games for Greece, averaging 3.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists. She finished with six points in a 65-61 win over Portugal. The 5-foot-9 point guard also had five points and two assists against tournament champion Spain, while she notched four points, two rebounds and two steals against Finland. She closed out the tournament with three points and three boards in a match-up with Turkey.
 
Baltzi brings impressive international experience to UCI as she previously represented Greece at the 2023 FIBA U16 Women's European Championship, and competed in FIBA 3x3 tournaments.
 
Junior Shirel Nahum is also set to compete internationally next month as she is slated to play for Israel at the U20 Women's EuroBasket in Portugal, Aug. 2-10. It is a familiar stage for Nahum, who was the fifth-leading scorer at the 2023 FIBA U18 Women's European Championship (17.0 ppg). She also represented Israel at the 2022 FIBA U18 Women's European Championship and at the 2021 FIBA U16 Women's European Challengers.