The Idaho State women’s basketball team has announced the signing of two Spanish players for the 2017-18 season. The Bengals signed Nuria Barrientos and Paula Barghout Gili, both of Barcelona, Spain.

Barrientos, a 5-foot-11 guard, is a two-time tournament MVP with her club team Draft Gramenet. She was named MVP of the Tourneig Kdet Lisant CB Prat in 2015 and also earned MVP honors at the International Tournament Mataró in 2016. She helped her club to team titles at the 2015 Tourneig Comarruga Costa Daurada, the 2015 Torneig Kdet Lisant CB Prat and the International Tournament Mataró. She is set to graduate from IES Numància this spring and plans to major in business economics.

“Nuria is a quick and long guard who can help us out at multiple guard positions,” Bengals head coach Seton Sobolewski said. “Her athleticism with length make her tough to match up with, especially when she attacks the basket. We’ve enjoyed getting to know Nuria and her family. They are the type of people we want as part of our program.”

Barghout Gili, a 6-foot-1 forward, just completed competition at the Catalonia Championships with her club team Barca CBS. She averaged 7 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game and helped the team advance to the tournament final. Barghout Gili also played soccer for three years. She is on track to graduate this spring and plans to major in business with a focus on marketing.

“The thing I was most impressed with when I watched Paula play was her effort,” Sobolewski said. “She sprints the floor, runs in to rebound every time and has grit to her…she’s a competitor. For a young forward, she has a high skill level and is an offensive threat in multiple ways. She moves well and can defend the perimeter as well as the post. Like Nuria, Paula also comes from a great family.”

Both Barrientos and Barghout Gili will begin their freshman campaigns this fall.