ORLANDO - With the final addition in an action-packed offseason for first-year head coach Gabe Lazo, the UCF women’s basketball team has signed Spanish international Maria Cintas to the 2026-27 roster.
The talented and shifty guard has been a standout player with the Spanish U16 and U18 squads, along with being a marquee figure for Segle XXI in Spain’s LF2 league. This past season, Cintas averaged 7.1 points per game while playing nearly 700 minutes.
Her strong basketball IQ and ball-handling skills equated to three assists per game, while also translating to the defensive end with an impressive 2.2 steals per game. The future Knight got hot down the stretch, surpassing double digits in five of the final nine contests.
Boasting a 38.9 percent clip from the field, Cintas can score at all three levels, using her speed to both find opportunities for her teammates and drive to the basket herself.
Playing alongside a talented group, Cintas averaged 17.1 minutes per game during Spain’s title-winning run in the 2025 U18 Eurobasket Championships. The Barcelona native scored 10 points on a 50 percent clip from the field in a convincing round of 16 triumph over Greece.
In the quarterfinals vs Serbia, Cintas dished six assists and secured three rebounds, leading Spain to the final four in the process. Cintas also represented her country in the 2024 U16 Eurobasket Championships, averaging 4.6 points and 20 minutes per game.
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UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.