The defending champion UCLA Bruins will be down one more member of last year’s NCAA title winning team, as it was announced on Sunday that sophomore Lena Bilic will miss the entire 2026-2027 season after suffering a torn ACL.
Bilic was set to take on a much larger role as a sophomore after playing just 12.1 minutes per game as a freshman. In the limited action, Bilic showed big-time shotmaking potential. The per-game stats didn't jump off the page for Bilic as she was in a low usage role, putting up 3.0 points and and 1.4 rebounds. After UCLA lost Gianna Kneepkens, Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic to the WNBA over the offseason, Bilic was expected to take on some of those minutes at the forward position for the Bruins.
The injury is an early
blow to UCLA’s depth, which was already set to be tested after losing a large senior class. UCLA coach Cori Close did a good job of adding talent in the transfer portal but it’s to be seen how that group will handle Big Ten Conference competition.
“We are devastated for Lena,” Close said in the team’s release on Sunday. “She is such an important part of what we do here, and I know she’ll continue to be impactful for us through her recovery. We’ll be with Lena every step of the way, and she’s in great hands with the best medical staff in the country, so I know she will come out on the other side stronger and better.”
Even if Bilic will miss all of this season, UCLA will be awaiting her return whenever her knee makes a full recovery.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA's Lena Bilic to miss the entire 2026-2027 season with a torn ACL
