Former Germantown High School star KK Arnold, who earned McDonalds High School All-America honors in 2023 and was Wisconsin's state girls basketball player of the year three times,, now can add an NCAA women's national championship ring to her trophy case.
Connecticut routed South Carolina 82-59 in the women's final Sunday afternoon. Arnold came off the bench to score nine points in 15 minutes for the Huskies.
The sophomore guard played a supporting role in the Huskies' dominant victory. Arnold made all three of her shots from the field and hit 3 of 5 free throws. She also had three assists.
KK Arnold's reaction after the bucket 😤 pic.twitter.com/cBYptUmxKZ
— ESPN (@espn) April 6, 2025
kk arnold and her cheerleaders pic.twitter.com/mAd8lWhQ3V
— scar (@iovepaige) April 6, 2025
Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd led the Huskies with 24 points and Paige Bueckers added 17 in her final collegiate game. UConn scored 46 points in the second half and Arnold was often part of a suffocating defense that held the Gamecocks to 34.4% shooting.
A starter on last year's UConn team that lost to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the 2024 Final Four, Arnold embraced her reserve role this year and spoke about it before the tournament started three weeks ago.
“I just feel like starting or coming off the bench, it is all about having an opportunity to be on the court,” Arnold told CT Insider. “For me, my mindset was coming off the bench I could add on energy. I can see where the starting five is and go on from there. Whether I start or don’t start doesn’t matter to me. I know what I am capable of on the court, and I just go from there.”
“When I go into a game I am looking to create steals on the defensive end,” Arnold said. “On offense I am pushing the ball and being a great point guard and looking out for our great shooters."
Arnold av eraged 5.4 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds a game this season. She also had nine points in 20 minutes against UCLA in Friday night's lopsided semifinal victory.
While Arnold may have provided the energy boost in reserve this season, her celebration skills were certainly first string on social media after UConn won its 12th championship.
KK Arnold is the early favorite for title celebration MVP already pic.twitter.com/y4yuxB4EtU
— No Cap Space WBB (@NoCapSpaceWBB) April 6, 2025
Ashlyn Shade and KK Arnold celebrating winning the natty
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