Briefs: Klintsone added

Anete Klintsone, a captain of the Latvian under-20 women's national basketball team who averaged 15.8 points for Jefferson Community College in Hillsboro, Mo. last season, has signed a national letter of intent to play at UC Irvine, Anteaters Coach Molly Goodenbour announced Tuesday.

Klintsone, a 5-foot-7 guard, played two seasons at Jefferson, earning first-team All-Region 16 honors as a sophomore. She made 76 three-pointers last season and ranked fourth in the national community college ranks by shooting 46% from three-point range. Her 84% free-throw-shooting proficiency ranked eighth nationally.

Klintson won consecutive bronze medals for the Latvian U-20 national team in 2009 and 2010 and helped the Latvians capture the Division B gold at the U-18 level. She was team captain of the U-16, U-18 and U-20 teams. She averaged 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists while on the national team.

She is currently a member of Latvia's preliminary squad for EuroBasket 2011.

"We are excited to be able to add an exceptional player like Anete to our squad for next year," Goodenbour said. "Her savvy and competitiveness combined with her playmaking and shooting ability will make her a valuable asset to our program. I can't wait to get her on campus to start working with her."

Klintsone joins Methlyn Onogomuho, a 5-11 forward, who signed with the Anteaters in November.

UCI's roster is currently without its top three scorers from last season, only one of whom, point guard Jade Smith-Williams, has exhausted her eligibility.

Mikah Maly-Karros, a 6-1 forward who was a junior last season, averaged 19.5 points and 9.7 rebounds before she was sidelined for unspecified reasons for the team's final eight games. Her status in the program remains unclear and UCI officials have declined to comment on her potential return next season.

Tayler Champion, a transfer from Oregon State who averaged 11.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 17 games last season, as a 6-1 sophomore forward, was not enrolled at the school during the spring quarter.

Paula Smith, an executive associate athletic director and UCI's senior women's administrator, declined comment on whether Champion would return to the program.

UCI was 15-15 last season, 7-9 in the Big West Conference and lost in the first round of the conference tournament.

— From staff reports

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