MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's women's basketball has announced this week the signing of three players who will join the Gaels for the 2020-21 season.

First is Tayla Dalton from New Zealand, who has already been making an international name for herself. Dalton competed in the 2017 U16 Asian Championships in India, 2018 U17 World Cup in Belarus, 2018 U19 Asia Cup in India, and the U18 3x3 World Cup in Mongolia this year when she helped her team to win a silver medal. the guard also competed in the skills contest at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup where she earned a bronze medal. In 2019, she averaged 37 points at Carmel College, as she helped them to a best-ever, third place finish in regionals to qualify for Secondary School Nationals. Once at Nationals, she led the tournament in scoring at 26 points per game. Dalton recorded a career-best, 60 points during 2017 when she was playing for the North Harbour team at the U17 Nationals.

The second signee is another guard, Leia Hanafin, who is from Australia and has been playing for the Dandenong Rangers since 2018. During her first season with the Rangers, Hanafin played in 18 games, with season-highs of 14 points and 10 assists on separate occasions. At the end of the season, she had shot 45 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range. During 2019, Hanafin played in 13 games with one start, averaging 22 minutes per game. Hanafin was also a member of the Victoria Metro team that won a gold medal at the 2019 U18 National Championships held in Townsville where she shot 48 percent from the field, 72 percent from the free throw line, averaged 5.5 points and just over 4 assists per game.  

The third player joining SMC is forward Ellie Croco from Willamette, Oregon. Croco was named Mid-Willamette Player of the Year as a junior after she averaged 19 points, 10 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks and led her team to a quarterfinal appearance in the Oregon 5A State Championships. Following the season, Croco earned a spot on the First Team 5A All State as well as the All-Academic team for her third straight season. As a sophomore, she averaged 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds, as well as shot 52 percent from the field per game and was named to the First Team All Mid-Willamette Conference.