Sept. 2, 2009

Irvine, Calif. -- Women’s basketball players Rebecca Maessen and Kim Barnes are keeping busy this summer playing for their home countries.

Maessen, who will be a senior for the Anteaters this year, is playing for the Dutch National Team which is currently participating in the B Division of the European Championships. Holland, which finished second in Group A with a 7-3 record, will meet Sweden, the top team from Group B (6-0) Saturday (Sept. 5) in the semifinals. Montenegro will battle Portugal in the other semifinal. In five games this summer, Maessen has averaged 4.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.8 steals. She also owns a .563 field goal percentage.  Maessen was an honorable mention All-Big West selection last season.

Barnes was starting for the New Zealand Tall Ferns who just finished competing in the FIBA Oceania Championship for Women.  The Tall Ferns dropped a pair of contests to the Australian Opals, who become the zone’s sole qualifying spot for the FIBA World Championships in 2010. Barnes will enter here junior year when she returns to Irvine.