The Nebraska women’s basketball team has acquired a major reinforcement for the 2024-2025 season with the arrival of Croatian Petra Bozan, head coach Amy Williams announced on Monday, August 26.

Bozan, a 6-foot-3 forward/center, arrived in Nebraska on Sunday night, just in time for the start of fall classes on Monday, after a strong performance for her home country at the FIBA ​​U18 Women’s Eurobasket in Matosinhos, Portugal (Aug. 3-11).

Bozan led Croatia in both points (113) and rebounds (70) through seven tournament games, and ranked sixth among all players in the 16-team tournament in scoring (16.1 ppg) and third in rebounding (10.0 rpg). She added 1.6 blocks and 1.3 assists.

“We are excited to add Petra to our Husker women’s basketball family,” said Nebraska Coach Amy Williams. “Her size, skill set and experience make her a perfect addition to our current roster, and we are excited to watch her grow and develop in a Husker uniform.”

Against Turkey (Aug. 8), Bozan erupted for 25 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks in 36 minutes, making 10 of 16 field goals, including 3 of 6 3-pointers. She added a second double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Poland (Aug. 4), before recording her first of two 20-point performances of the tournament with 21 points and nine rebounds against Belgium (Aug. 5).

During the tournament, Bozan made 48 percent of her field goals, including 27.3 percent (6-22) of her three-pointers, and 72.2 percent (13-18) of her free throws.

During the 2023–24 season, Bozan played for KAZL Split in the Croatian Premier League, averaging 15.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocked shots in 22 games to earn Second Team All-Premier League honors. She made 54.5 percent of her field goals and 73.6 percent of her free throws, helping KAZL Split to a 17–5 record. Her performances included a season-high 31 points on 14 of 21 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and seven steals in a win over Zagreb (October 28, 2023). It was one of her 17 double-doubles during the 22-game Premier League regular season. She grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds against Brod na Savi (November 4, 2023).

Last summer, Bozan averaged 12.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists for Croatia at the 2023 FIBA ​​U18 European Championships. Her efforts in Sofia, Bulgaria included double-doubles against Greece and Macedonia before adding a third double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in the final victory over Luxembourg. She earned a spot on the tournament’s All-Star Five in helping propel Croatia to the Division B championship.

She also represented Croatia at the 2022 FIBA ​​U16 European Championships in Portugal, averaging 13.6 points and a tournament-best 15.0 rebounds over seven games. She led Croatia to a third-place finish, including a 16-point, 13-rebound effort against Spain in the semifinals. She produced six double-doubles, including a 19-point, 15-rebound effort in a win over Italy, and a huge 14-point, 23-rebound performance in a win over Finland. She also averaged 2.4 blocks and 1.7 steals.

The daughter of Darko and Stanka Bozan, Petra was born on February 10, 2006. She also played club basketball for WBC Akademija Zana Lelas. She plans to study business administration at Nebraska.