Lady Terps Sign Guard Kozlova

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Head coach Brenda Frese and the Big Ten champion Maryland women's basketball team signed 6-1 guard Taisiya "Tai" Kozlova (ty-EE-see-ah koz-LOW-vah) Monday. Kozlova, a native of Moscow, Russia, comes to the Terrapins by way of the Elevation Prep Academy in Sarasota, Fla. She is eligible immediately with four years of eligibility.

Kozlova averaged 13.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in her first season in the U.S. this past year. She led the team in minutes played and points per game, starting every game.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tai into our Maryland family," Frese said. "She fits us perfectly and will be eligible immediately. She is a dynamic guard with tremendous length that can really shoot the ball and defend. She has an extremely high motor and is so unselfish. All she wants to do is win. We can't wait for Tai to join our team and program and continue to help us compete for championships."

Against Lehigh High School, Kozlova went a perfect 8-for-8 from outside the arc to finish with 27 points, two rebounds and three steals. Kozlova competed against some top junior colleges. She put up 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals against the College of Central Florida and 13 points, two rebounds, four steals and a block against Daytona State College. Off the court, Kozlova held the team's highest GPA with a 4.0.

"I chose Maryland because of the genuine coaching staff and I feel that I can grow there as a player and as an individual," Kozlova said.

Kozlova joins two other commits for Maryland this spring in Chloe Bibby, a 6-1 forward/guard transfer from Mississippi State and Katie Benzan, a 5-6 guard graduate transfer from Harvard. They will come to College Park along with Angel Reese from Baltimore, the No. 2 overall recruit in the freshman class nationally.