STOCKHOLM – Incoming freshman Somto Okafor wrapped an undefeated tournament with MVP honors, an All-Star Five selection and a gold medal at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket in Sweden.

Okafor led Spain in scoring, putting up 15.3 points per game to rank seventh overall in the tournament. She shot 51.4 percent from the floor and 48 percent from long distance over her seven appearances; she only played 22.2 minutes per game in a highly efficient tournament. Okafor also snagged 4.9 rebounds and swiped 1.4 steals per game.

The 5-foot-9 guard led all scorers with 17 points in the gold medal game against France; she added six rebounds and three steals to her final stat line in the decisive victory. Okafor helped Spain capture back-to-back gold medals in the U18 tournament with the win.

Okafor had back-to-back 20-point outings to start the elimination rounds. She had 20 points against Croatia in the Round of 16; Okafor had seven rebounds and two steals in the 100-25 win. Her highest scoring output in the 2026 international competition was when she scored 22 points against Italy in the quarterfinals.

Bruins Abroad in the Summer of 2026
Three Bruins joined their respective national teams for the 2026 FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket in Lithuania at the start of July.

Lena Bilić and Croatia finished eighth in the tournament, defeating Latvia in the Round of 16 before falling to Belgium in the quarterfinals. Bilić averaged 17.3 points per game, ranking sixth overall in the tournament, to go with 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Her standout game was a 35-point performance (4-11 3FG, 9-10 FT) in that quarterfinal; she added seven rebounds and a pair of assists to her final stat line. Bilić had back-to-back double-doubles against Belgium (14 PTS, 11 REB) and Poland (13 PTS, 10 REB) in the quarterfinals and classification games. She ended the tournament with a 24-point showing against Türkiye; despite her scoring output and six assists, Croatia fell 85-80 in the matchup to place eighth.

Lina Jerković averaged 8.6 points, 5.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game in seven appearances for Slovenia. She scored in double figures three times: vs. Belgium (12 PTS), vs. Hungary (15 PTS) and vs. Sweden (11 PTS). Jerković totaled nine assists against Italy, playing all 45 minutes in the overtime game; she led Slovenia in assists and was the team’s second-leading scorer.

Christina Karamouzi appeared in four games for Sweden at the tournament; she laced a free throw against Hungary for her only score of the tournament. Karamouzi averaged 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.