UCLA needs Gianna Kneepkens more than ever to win NCAA title

PHOENIX – Senior guard Gianna Kneepkens has been one of the most impactful transfers for UCLA during their dominant 2025-26 season and as the Bruins head into the NCAA championship game against South Carolina on Sunday, they’ll need Kneepkens more than ever. 

After a standout career at Utah, Kneepkens decided she needed a change in her final season. She was looking for a program where she wouldn’t have to carry the entire load and where she didn’t have to have to feel like she was the only one willing to put in extra work. 

That’s when head coach Cori Close came in and assured Kneepkens that what she was looking for was waiting for her in Westwood.

“I told her, ‘If you come to UCLA, you will be one of 12 that work that way,” Close said after defeating Texas on Friday. “She almost didn’t believe me. And then I remember into the summer, she came to me and was like, ‘Wow, you’re not kidding. Every day someone else is beating me to the gym.”

Kneepkens’ Impact

The 5’11 guard has been a transformative addition to the Bruins. She’s made a name for herself shooting beyond the arc in her career; “Threepkens” being that name specifically. She’s one of several 40-50-90% shooters that the Bruins have rostered and having her as a threat on the outside has revolutionized UCLA’s spacing.

Sharpshooting isn’t where her talents end, though. She can drive inside and lay up the ball, slot into UCLA’s ball-movement system with sharp passes and she can be a factor defensively. 

Defense is where she’s put much of her focus lately. 

She’s had a relatively quiet NCAA tournament save for a 15-point performance against Oklahoma State in the Second Round where she shot 50% beyond the arc. While the shots haven’t been falling, Kneepkens has turned to other ways she can contribute on the court.

“My mindset going in is I wanted to be super aggressive on the defensive end,” Kneepkens said after defeating Texas on Friday. “Shots are going to go in, they’re not going to go in sometimes. If you play with your mind like that, basketball is not so fun. You can focus on the things you can control, like boxing out, getting rebounds, just playing aggressive.”

Heading into Sunday’s championship game against the Gamecocks, it’s not just Kneepkens’ aggressiveness and defense that the Bruins will need, but her three point shooting too.

Stretching the floor

Naturally, the Bruins have been dominant inside the paint with the talents of senior center Lauren Betts and graduate forward Angela Dugalic to lead them along with threats like freshman forward Sienna Betts.

But throughout the tournament, teams have been increasingly effective at shutting the paint down to contain the Bruins. South Carolina will be no different. 

The Betts sisters and Dugalic will anticipate physicality from the Gamecocks and as was shown in Friday’s game against Texas, UCLA’s guards will likely have just as hard of a time getting the ball inside the paint to the Bruin bigs. 

The Bruins will likely be forced to shoot from long range and they’ll need to make the most of those situations when they occur.

That’s something that hasn’t truly happened for UCLA in the tournament. The Bruins have shot under 40% beyond the arc in all but one of their tournament games so far, including a truly desolate 14% three point performance against Duke.

Rising to the occasion and controlling the perimeter is how UCLA can turn the tide against South Carolina and Kneepkens will need to be the leader there.

If Kneepkens’ shots are falling on Sunday, confetti is sure to fall soon after.