Croatia beat Lithuania 88-83 Sunday for a third place overall finish in the Women’s FIBA U18 World Cup.
Nearly half of Croatia’s points came from one woman.
Incoming UCLA freshman Lena Bilić recorded a formidable 41 points, plus five rebounds, seven assists and four steals in Croatia’s victory.
𝟰𝟬-𝗣𝗜𝗘𝗖𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗭𝗘 😱😱😱
— UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) July 13, 2025
Lena Bilić (15-29 FG, 6-12 3FG) was unconscious against Lithuania to help lift Croatia to third place and a promotion next summer!
🇭🇷 88-83 🇱🇹
📊 L. Bilić | 41 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST, 4 STL#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/OTrDGRheBA
Bilić led the team with nearly 39 full minutes played, while shooting 52.9% on 2-point attempts, 50% from beyond the arc and 71.4% on free throws.
The guard was a consistent star for Croatia throughout the tournament. She recorded 11 points in Croatia’s 81-78 quarterfinal win against Iceland and 19 points in their 75-60 semifinal loss to Germany. In Tuesday’s 100-98 victory over Denmark, Bilić added 32 points.
Bilić is one of three athletes in UCLA’s 2025 recruiting class, ranked No. 12 nationally and second-best in the Big Ten by ESPN in May. She committed alongside No. 2 overall prospect, forward Sienna Betts. The third recruit is Swedish guard Christina Karamouzi Siegel.
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UCLA head coach Cori Close is understandably excited about adding Bilić to her squad.
"Lena is the best player out of Europe in her class," Close said in November on National Signing Day. "She's a big guard, she has a high IQ for the game, she's a defensive playmaker, and she can really shoot it."
The Bruins’ recruits are outranked in the Big Ten only by Illinois, whose class is nationally ranked No. 9.
UCLA getting No. 2 Betts, whose older sister Lauren is a center for the Bruins, likely boosted their rankings, but not enough to best Fighting Illini coach Shauna Green. Illinois secured four top-100 prospects this offseason, including point guard Destiny Jackson (No. 29), and forwards Cearah Parchment (No. 40), Manuella Alves-Fernandez (No. 48) and Naomi Benson (No. 96).