BENGALURU, India - Taking her talents to the international stage before officially beginning her career as a Coug, freshman Ula Motuga made the most of her time with Team Australia over the past week as the Gems took home a bronze medal at th 2018 U-18 Asian Championships. The Gems performance earned the young Australian team a spot in the 2019 U-19 World Cup, qualifying through the Asian zone for the first time. The World Cup will be held next summer in Thailand from July 20-28, 2019.

At the championships, the Gems posted a 4-2 overall record falling in the semifinals to the eventual runner-up Japan before defeating Korea in the third-place game to end the tournament. The win over Korea avenged the Gems' only other loss of the tournament in group play, winning the bronze with an impressive 75-58 victory Saturday. Throughout her week in India, Motuga proved herself among her peers, finishing the championships with an average of 8.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and just under 1.0 assists and steals per game in 19 minutes of action. The freshman's biggest performance came against the best competition as Motuga posted her tournament best of 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting against Japan in the semifinals. The game prior, Motuga's eight points, four rebounds, and four steals were critical in the Gems' win over New Zealand which officially punched the Australians' tickets to Thailand next summer.

Motuga will rejoin the Cougars later in the week before making her collegiate Tuesday, Nov. 6 when the Cougars officially open the 2018-19 season against Utah State at Beasley Coliseum.