Purdue's Maya Zilbershlag Dominating for Team Israel in Women's FIBA U20 EuroBasket
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Before making an impact in West Lafayette, Maya Zilbershlag had some unfinished business to handle on the international stage. The new Boilermaker has been dominating in this summer's Women's FIBA U20 EuroBasket.
The 5-foot-9 guard has been outstanding through five games for Team Israel, as she's been the team's second-leading scorer and top rebounder in the event. In those five contests, Zilbershlag is averaging 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Israel has reached the semifinal round of this year's U20 EuroBasket and owns a 4-1 record. The squad will play Belgium on Saturday, July 11, with a trip to the championship hanging in the balance.
A tipoff time has not yet been announced. The game will be available to watch on FIBA's YouTube channel.
Zilbershlag had her best performance of the event in a win over Hungary in the Round of 16. She recorded a double-double that day, scoring 28 points and collecting 10 rebounds in 32 minutes of action. She also had two steals and an assist.
Zilbershlag has scored in double figures four times in Israel's five games. She has also grabbed seven or more rebounds three times. She is shooting 40.7% from the floor and 36.7% from behind the three-point line.
Zilbershlag's success a great sign for Purdue
The competition in FIBA's U20 EuroBasket is different than college basketball in the United States. Still, it's a promising sign that Zilbershlag has performed at such a high level so consistently throughout the event.
Most notably, Zilbershlag has been crashing the boards as a 5-foot-9 guard, a player unafraid of getting into the paint and fighting for the basketball. Purdue needs that type of intensity from all five players on the floor.
Zilbershlag has also been connecting from behind the three-point line at nearly a 37% clip. Another area where the Boilermakers have struggled is with its three-point shooting. If she can shoot with that type of precision, it's a tremendous weapon on the offensive end for Katie Gearlds' squad.
This year's Purdue team is going to have plenty of international flavor. Zilbershlag is one of six players on the roster who come to West Lafayette from overseas. The others are Keona Douwstra (Netherlands), Katka Sediva (Slovakia), Hannah Wickstrom (Australia), Jelena Bulajic (Montenegro) and Anjela Minja (Tanzania).
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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