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ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ Women's Basketball graduate student guard Izabella Nicoletti-Leite had the experience of a lifetime as she helped lead her native country Brazil to a silver medal in the South American Women's Basketball Championship earlier this month. In the six-game tournament in Chile, Nicoletti-Leite averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. With its second-place finish, the Brazilian team has qualified for the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, which will also be hosted in Chile.

"It was an amazing opportunity being able to play for Brazil," Nicoletti-Leite said. "It had been seven years since I was able to represent my country, since I suffered the injuries, so being able to go back and be on that stage again was awesome. I can't really describe the feeling of being able to wear a jersey with your country's name on it."

"We are so proud of Iza for getting a call up to the Brazilian senior national team," Fairfield Head Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. "Representing your country at the highest level is one of the greatest honors an athlete can earn, so seeing Iza get that chance after battling through injuries and setbacks in her career is truly special."

Nicoletti-Leite played in all six games for Brazil as the squad went 4-2 in the tournament. The Fairfield captain averaged 9.7 points per game, including a game-high 20 points in the win against Colombia. She also averaged 5.0 assists including a team-high eight against Uruguay. In Brazil's six games, Nicoletti-Leite led the team in assists three times.

Brazil advanced to the South American Women's Championship Game resulting in a loss to Argentina. Nicoletti-Leite poured in 12 points and dished out six assists in the Championship.

"The experience of being able to play against other countries and other really talented players will help me lead better this year," Nicoletti-Leite said. "Being the youngest player there helped me grow in terms of leadership and helping others. I had some really good leaders as teammates and they taught me a lot so I think leadership is definitely something I am going to take from this opportunity."

Nicoletti-Leite also played for the Brazilian national team during the U16 FIBA Americas in 2015, guiding her country to a second-place finish. She highlighted that tournament with a game-high 24-point performance in a semifinal win over the United States.

Nicoletti-Leite will beginning her third season with the Stags after helping the squad to an historic 2023-24 campaign which culminated in a MAAC Championship, NCAA Tournament appearance, and the program's first-ever national ranking.