According to a report from On3’s Talia Goodman, Elizaveta Astakhova, a six-foot-one wing who spent the 2024-25 basketball season playing professionally in Russia, committed to head coach Courtney Banghart and UNC Tuesday afternoon.

Astakhova played for both MBA Moscow and its junior team, MBA-2, during the 2024-25 season. While with MBA in Russia’s PBL, Astakhova averaged 4.7 points per game while shooting 24.6 percent on three-pointers and 68.2 percent on free theows in 39 contests. She also appeared in six games for MBA-2 in the Russian Superleague 1, averaging 11.5 points per game while shooting 33.3 percent on threes and 76.5 percent on free throws there.

Astakhova was more productive in the home stretch of MBA’s season, scoring in double figures five times in the season’s final month-and-a-half, including a 20-point outing in March which saw her shoot 4-6 on threes.

Astakhova’s reported commitment comes just four days after the UNC women’s basketball program had seemingly finalized its 2025-26 roster and jersey numbers. Astakhova would be the third player on the current roster who hails from overseas, joining Taissa Queiroz (Brazil) and UCLA transfer Elina Aarnisalo (Finland).

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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