Lucija Kostic

Class
Honors

Women's Basketball (2018-2019)

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Watching USF Dons forward Lucija Kostic on the court could be surprising to someone unfamiliar to the Dons brand of basketball. A phenomenal passer who often operates above the key, scanning the floor looking for which of her teammates will make the proper cut or others that might need to be led to find the open shot. "My freshman year I had to be more assertive because we didn't have that many scorers so I decided that I had to go score myself even though I prefer assisting," Kostic said.

Head coach Molly Goodenbour is amazed watching the way Lucija can serve as a coach on the floor, as she knows the game so well and the exact spot each player should be at on the floor to have success. "What was frustrating the first couple of years is that we had to make her into a player that we knew she wasn't," Goodenbour explained. "But we didn't understand the value of what she did do."

What Kostic did was make everyone else she shared the floor with better due to her passing and instincts. Emerging as one of the smartest players in the WCC she stands out as the only front court player to finish in the top 10 in the conference in assists while playing smart and stingy defense against fellow post players.

During last season's run to the WNIT, the shooters around Lucija were thriving as she finished second in the conference in assists and led the WCC in assist to turnover ratio.

"All of a sudden I have Ioanna (Krimili), Amalie (Langer), Kia (Valaavirta), Jessica (McDowell-White) and all these players that can shoot, score and cut," Kostic said. "It was just like everything opened up and I can actually do what I like doing."

Goodenbour knows how impactful Kostic can be when she's on the floor leading the way for her teammates helping them to be their best. Attributes like this make it easy to see why her coaches see a great future ahead for Lucija to remain on the sidelines once her playing career finishes.

For now, the redshirt junior from Zagreb is looking for another strong conference season from the Dons with a return to postseason play. "If you keep working hard, believe in yourself and surround yourself with good people, good things are going to happen," Kostic said.

HONORS & AWARDS
- WCC Player of the Week - 2/4/2018
The West Coast Conference has named its Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for February 4, 2019.

San Francisco freshman forward Lucija Kostic had the biggest game of her young career Saturday, logging her first career double-double with her first career 20-point game and double-digit rebounding performance in leading San Francisco to a 57-49 road win at rival Santa Clara.

Kostic led all players with 22 points and 12 rebounds. She scored 12 points in the first half, including the Dons' first basket of the game that gave them the lead for good, as USF led from wire to wire. She entered Saturday's game averaging 6.0 ppg and 5.1 rpg and more than doubled both of those averages.

She also had two blocks, two assists and a steal in the game while going 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) from the floor.

2020-21 (REDSHIRT-SOPHOMORE)

Played in 27 games making 26 starts in her return to the lineup.
Logged 704 minutes averaging 26.1 minutes per game.
Scored 91 points averaging 3.4 points per game...shot 37.6 percent from the field (35-for-93)
51st in the nation in assist to turnover ratio at 2.17 - led the WCC with that stat.
Was 37th in the nation in total assists with 102 (second in the WCC) and 71st in the nation in assists per game at 4.4 (second in the WCC).
Led the team in rebounding with 171 rebounds, averaged 6.3 rebounds per game...had double-digit rebounds four times including a career-high 14 rebounds in the win over Saint Mary's on Mar. 6 in the WCC Tournament...had a double-double in that contest with 13 points...was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field in that contest.
Had her first double-double of the year in the Dons road win over Saint Mary's on Jan. 9, grabbing 10 boards and dishing out a season-high 10 assists.
Had five or more assists 11 times.
In USF's win over Houston in the first round of the WNIT she had six rebounds, five assists and five points.

2019-20 (SOPHOMORE): Redshirt season.

2018-19 FRESHMAN

Played in and started 30 of the Dons 31 games as a true freshman.
Was the team’s best shooter at 51.6% (sixth in the West Coast Conference) and shot blocker with 22 rejections (tied for seventh in the WCC), and was second on the team in rebounding (4.8 per game) and assists (2.8 per game).
Averaged 7.1 points per game with nine double-figure scoring games.
Shot at least 50.0% from the floor (minimum four attempts) on 13 occasions.
Proved to be one of the team’s best passers, posting 10 games with four or more assists.
Earned WCC Player of the Week honors for the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3 after a season-standout performance on the road at Santa Clara.
She posted her first career double-double with a season-high 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 made shots (11 for 14, 78.6% shooting).
She also had two blocks, two assists and a steal in that game.
Scored 18 points and collected seven rebounds while shooting 53.3% from the floor in the Dons 2019 WCC Tournament first-round victory over Portland in Las Vegas (March 7).
It was Kostic’s clutch 18-foot jump shot with only 45 seconds left that made it a four-point game at the time and helped propel the Dons to their 76-69 postseason victory.

HIGH SCHOOL:

Won multiple national championships playing her club basketball for ŽKK Trešnjevka 2009 alongside fellow Croatians and USF teammates Marta and Marija Galic.
Four-time Croatian Junior National Champion, two-time Croatian senior league finalist, and two-time Ružica Meglaj-Rimac cup finalists (national women's basketball cup for Croatia).
Was ranked No. 1 in efficiency during the U-18 Women's European Championship, and third at the U-16 championship.

PERSONAL: 6'2", born in Zagreb, Croatia on January 24, 2000.