Guard Elina Aarnisalo, who spent her freshman season at UCLA, signed with head coach Courtney Banghart and the UNC women’s basketball program Tuesday morning. Aarnisalo has three seasons of collegiate eligibility remaining.

Aarnisalo, originally from Finland, began the 2024-25 season as a starter for the Bruins, playing 27 minutes and scoring 13 points in an upset win against No. 1 South Carolina which catapulted the Bruins to the top spot in the following week’s AP Poll. Though Aarnisalo would eventually lose that starting spot, she remained one of the team’s top reserves as UCLA won the Big Ten Tournament, earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Final Four. Aarnisalo appeared in all 37 of the Bruins’ games.

For the season, Aarnisalo averaged 5.1 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game. She shot 43.7 percent overall from the field, 27.0 percent on three-pointers and 77.4 percent from the free throw line.

“We are thrilled to add Elina to our Tar Heel program,” Banghart said. “Elina is an elite competitor and a dynamic playmaker for herself and for others. She will help us play fast and connected.”

Aarnisalo has also played in the Korisliiga, Finland’s top professional basketball league, where she averaged 19.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.7 steals per game with HBA-Marksy. She represented Finland at the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s European Championships, leading her team in scoring with 17.9 points per game.

Aarnisalo is the second incoming transfer to join UNC during the 2025 offseason, joining Louisville’s Nyla Harris.

 

Featured image via UCLA Athletics/Don Liebig

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