As Cats, Cardinal meet again, current and former UA players break down last year's championship bout

The rematch of the national championship game, that is.

No. 8-ranked Arizona (15-2, 5-2 Pac-12) heads to Palo Alto to take on No. 2 Stanford (15-3, 6-0) at 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2. It’s the only time in the regular season the teams will meet.

It’s also the first time the teams have met since they played for the national championship. The Wildcats came up just short in the biggest game in program history, losing 54-53 to the Cardinal in San Antonio last April 4.

What really happened on the court, and in those last six seconds, when UA had a chance to win it all? What was it like leading up to the game and after the loss?

The Star talked to former UA standout Trinity Baptiste, starting guard Bendu Yeaney, post Lauren Ware, reserve guard Helena Pueyo and freshman Madi Conner.

Here’s what they remember from the big game. The conversation has been lightly edited.

Before you walked onto the court for your game against UConn in the Final Four, you knew if you won you would be playing Stanford for the championship. When did it sink in that you would be playing the Pac-12 champions for the third time that season? It’s the team that had beaten you 81-54 and 62-48 (in the regular season).

Baptiste: “After we beat UConn you saw everybody celebrating, but immediately when we got in the locker room, the coaches were like ‘all right, like no throwing water. It’s time; this is what we worked for.’ We were super excited, but the coaches were like, ‘it’s business as usual.’ It’s Stanford and it’s the third time playing them. We felt like we were going to win. We didn’t care who it was. We just felt really confident in the locker room, and we were ready. … With my team, we were just enjoying our time and we were making the best out of every moment to be honest, but immediately we just got to work. ... Every moment was exciting, to be honest.”

Yeaney: “We were watching the Stanford-South Carolina game right to the finish when we saw that Stanford had won and we’re like, ‘Oh, wow, like, if we win it was going to be an all- Pac-12 championship.’ That was like our mindset first, and then once we won, we celebrated a little bit in the locker room, but it wasn’t as much as we celebrated the rest of our wins. Because we kind of knew, we got to get back to business. We knew it’s hard to beat a team three times and Stanford beat us twice. We’re trying to get focused right away, understand the magnitude of the how big the game was. I think it really sunk in probably like 20 minutes after the game when we beat UConn. We were super excited — we beat UConn. But then we realized that we beat UConn, but we still have a tall task in Stanford, and we hadn’t beaten them all season.“

Pueyo: “When we beat UConn, I didn’t believe it. It was my first time doing this (playing in the NCAA Tournament). We were just going game by game. It was our goal to win every game. I never lived this, so for me it was my amazing I was very, very, very surprised.”

Conner: “We got back to the hotel they had like a big old bracket in our hotel, you got the sticker and you put it up there as you continue to press it on in the tournament. I felt like that was kind of the moment where it was like Stanford’s name was already up there. And then we put our name up there.”

Ware: “I don’t think it really hit me until we were running out to warm up and I saw the whole crowd, and everyone was cheering (for the championship game). I think that was the moment that it sunk in for me. Before that, I was kind of just thinking it was like, ‘Oh, it’s just another game.’ But it didn’t really hit me until I was in the arena with all the fans.”

Over the next 48 hours or so, you prepped for the game and a few of your teammates, Aari McDonald and Sam Thomas, were on “SportsCenter” and “The Today Show” with former UA alum Savannah Guthrie. Coach Adia Barnes was on “NBC Nightly News” and interviewed by the New York Times. What was your experience during the time from winning against UConn to stepping on the court for the championship game?

Baptiste: “We go back to hotel, shower and get in our bed to go to sleep but people don’t understand the adrenaline and the nerves and everything that you have. It’s so hard to sleep — even from the beginning of tournament — but once you get to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, each time, just realizing that you’re closer and closer, it’s hard to sleep.

“The next day we just prepared how we always prepare, which was defense first. Going into that championship game like we had to put our emotion set aside and just play. Coach Adia pulled me aside before the game and she’s like, ‘Without you we wouldn’t be here, either. We wouldn’t be playing in the championship game. I just want you to just play — just play free.’ She told me she was proud of me. That was a moment that we had before the game.”

Yeaney: “We got really back really late (from the UConn game). I remember I was it was probably four in the morning, Aari (McDonald) texted me and was like, ‘I can’t sleep,’ and I was like, ‘Same.’ We had this long conversation at literally like four o’clock in the morning. I think I personally got maybe three hours of sleep. I think that Sam and everybody else who was doing a bunch of media only got like two maybe, if that. I think our adrenaline from the win after UConn to the next day at practice, I think our adrenaline kept kicking in. That’s all it was.

“We just tried to focus. We did a lot of recovery, looking at their plays that they’re going to run. We wanted to keep it simple and keep it to what we usually do. We didn’t want to overcomplicate anything, just so we can stay relaxed. I think the whole weekend was just about staying relaxed. Knowing that the whole world is watching us, but at the same time, the whole world is against us. They don’t really think we’re going to pull off what we can pull off. I think it was more like we’re in a tight little bubble and the only people that believed was us. It was an unbelievable experience being able to have that month with the whole team like that.“

Pueyo: “I wasn’t thinking about the game — I was thinking about winning. I was so ready to beat them (Stanford). I couldn’t sleep well but I think always happens if you go like for the championship. I was a little bit nervous (for the title game). I think it’s our last game we have to do everything — I just want to give my 100%.”

Ware: “It was really crazy. Just playing UConn in general has been like a dream for me, always. I watched them growing up — but beating them is a whole ‘nother thing. Going into that game. I think that was just a big thing for us. This is a really good opportunity for us to do something special so actually, winning that game was just like this wasn’t real. It was hard to sleep with all the excitement, adrenaline I still had going through my body. But then we knew that we have a championship game coming up, so we knew we’ve got to prepare. That’s when it all sunk in that we could really win this. Getting to both of those experiences was amazing, a dream come true.

“We had already played them (Stanford), so we were really prepared for them knowing what they were going to do. We prepared like it was any other game, but there was this mantra behind it that this was a really big game for us, but we took it as any other game.“

It seemed to take a while to settle into the title game, with UA getting outscored 17-8 in the first quarter. When did it click that this was just another game and what did Coach Adia or any of your teammates say during the huddle to get everyone going?

Baptiste: “The coaching staff did a good job making adjustments throughout the game. We focus on defense so much we take pride in defense, but we were undersized. They were beating us inside. Coach Adia was subbing in and out, doing whatever she could to win the game. I don’t think the moment was bigger than what it was for any of my teammates. I just think that Stanford is just such a smart team, that they’re going to make you pay for any mistakes that you make.

“My teammates were ready. I felt like they were ready for start. And Shaina (Pellington) was fresh. She came up in a big moment for us. All of us all starters, we played a lot of minutes. Aari was big every single game for us, but you know, I just think that having someone fresh come off the bench and just ready with fresh legs and everything, it helps.”

Yeaney: “I remember Coach Adia called a timeout. In that timeout Aari spoke up and was like, ‘We’re playing like punks right now. We need to we need to start playing like how we’ve been playing.’ We lost the first war — we play in five-minute wars — and she was saying if we want to win this game, we’re going to have to start putting up a fight now. She just stepped up as a leader and told us that we need to pick it up, or else we’re going to lose by like 40. And nobody wants to lose by 40 or 20 on national TV. I think that’s when it clicked for us. We got our second wind. That’s when Shaina came in and gave us a little spark and everybody just fed off of that.”

Pueyo: “We just turned our mindset and said, ‘OK we want to win this game and we’ve got to do something different. So, we are going to play our game.’ After that I think we got two steals and some baskets.”

Conner: “I feel like it was all the nerves. You are on this huge stage for the national championship. None of us have ever been there before. You know what you’ve got to do. We played Sanford multiple times. It was kind of like, ‘OK, we’ve been here, done this.’ You have to stop thinking about all the extra stuff but just go out there and play your game.”

Ware: “I don’t think any of us were worried. I think we all thought we are going to stick to this game regardless of what happens in the first quarter, second quarter. We had the mindset of whatever happens — if something bad happens, we’re going to put it behind us and just keep pushing. After that first quarter when we got beat up a bit, Coach Adia was preaching to us that we had to put it behind us and come out a new team in a second quarter. I think (that’s) what we did, because we fought back really hard, and I think that’s what kept us in the game.”

You grind it out and it’s a very close game until the end. There are six seconds left, you are down by one point. Coach Adia calls a timeout. What happens in the huddle and where were you when Aari’s last-second shot hits the rim and bounces off?

Baptiste: “This is funny, this is my first time taking about this play. Coach Adia drew up a play it was to set two staggers for Sam to go to the corner. Aari was supposed to set a back screen on my man — Cameron Brink was guarding me, but she was laying off me in the paint already. There was really no screen to set. That was the first look to go to the basket — throw a lob to the basket. Then, the second look was Aari coming up and making a play doing what she does best. Stanford tripled team her. We just put the ball in her hands to make the best decision, the best play — we just put our trust in her. She just missed the shot. That’s all it was.

“… In that moment I’m going to the basket. I’m either thinking the shot will go in or I had a chance to rebound it. I just saw the ball go up in the air. It’s just a feeling you want things to go your way. All throughout the tournament, things went our way. In that moment I wanted things to go our way, but it didn’t. …

“I’ll rewatch the game over and over again, over and over again. As a player, someone who wants to be great, you always think about what I could have done better. What I could have done better in that moment. But you know, there are so many things that lead up until that last play. You know what I mean? And we put ourselves in the best position to win the game and we didn’t win the game. … I don’t live with any regrets. I’m happy. I was proud of my team to be honest — really proud of my team and my coaches. I didn’t return (to school) but I would do it all over again with the same team, same coaches, same circumstance in a bubble, COVID year. I would do it all over again because it was amazing.“

Yeaney: “We drew up a play that we only ran a couple times in practice. It was a trick play that we thought it was going to work. But when we ran it, different people were in different spots. When we got on the floor, we’re all in different spots. From my view, it looked like we were struggling to get the ball in bounds and Aari had called a time out, but the refs didn’t hear her. This is what Aari and I talk about all the time. She called a time out, but it was so loud that I don’t think the ref recognized (it). I think she thought we were probably talking to the in-bounder who was inbounding the ball and not her. At that point we just want our best player to make the best play she can make. We’re going to live and die by if Aari made that shot or not. She’s person that we wanted to take a shot. She got a good look – she’s hit some of those. That game we just fell short. It was just a little bit over to the left, but I feel like if she had a clean look at it, it would’ve gone in. Put (three) over 6-foot people on her and she made the best play she could.”

Conner: “Everybody knew Aari was going to get the ball. She’s one of the best players in the country. She got a great opportunity. It wasn’t exactly how the play was drawn up, because obviously Stanford altered that a little bit. She got a good look; she got it off, because that’s what Aari does. We’ve been through these situations before, like we do it in my practice, but it’s real life this time and then national championship game, and that’s a huge moment.”

Ware: “Everyone was really calm, which I think was something that spoke to our character. It was almost like we’d been there before, which obviously we haven’t. We did a good job of just kind of handling the situation. It didn’t turn out how we wanted it to. But Aari taking that shot — we wanted her to take that shot. We wouldn’t want anyone else to take it. It almost went in. We knew after the buzzer went off, we fought has hard as we could. “

Aari’s shot bounces off the rim. Everyone seems frozen for a few moments — even Stanford doesn’t realize they won. They move off to the side to celebrate. Shaina goes over to help Aari off the floor. Coach Adia comes out to hug Aari. The crowd chants ‘U of A, U of A.’ What was it like in those moments after the game and coming home to Tucson?

Baptiste: “First off, I felt like I hadn’t even got a chance to perform in front of the fans before — just the atmosphere … it felt like everybody in the arena was there for Arizona. Literally we had the crowd on our side. Walking off that court, honestly, I’m in tears — I wasn’t thinking about waving at the crowd. I’m in disbelief. I’m just thinking, ‘We just lost the game.’ We went back into the locker room, and we came together — it was emotional for everybody. We wanted to finish the mission like and accomplish the goal. I just held my teammates and we all just thanked each other. We all just said how grateful we were to be in that position. From the beginning no one really believed in us.

“Every game we were watching the other team, walk off the court crying every day. We were excited. Every day we were we were smiling and celebrated. The tables were turned for that last game. It felt different. It was a surreal feeling. But no regrets. It was a great tournament and we made history.

“The fans welcomed us back like we won. In their eyes we won. … People don’t understand the love you get in Tucson, Arizona, is it’s like no other. When we got back and we had the ceremony, it felt good.”

Yeaney: “It was unbelievable. You never really hear the opposing team, who didn’t win the championship, get their name, chanted like that. That’s when everybody realized that we were a real team that we gain respect right there. think that everybody in the world realized that Arizona is for real, and they appreciated our efforts and everything we brought to the tournament because we’re the Cinderella story. In the end we were the team everyone fell in love with. It was just unbelievable feeling knowing that (even though) we fell short, that everybody was still appreciative and happy for us.

“Coming back to Tucson and seeing how many people were out there supporting us and just so generally happy for our run, it game me chills. It just gave me chills to see how much we affected the community and how everybody has become big Arizona women’s basketball fans. They showed up when we need the most. You are going to be sad when you lose the national championship, but being able to see everybody’s smiling faces, cheering for us, it was a good feeling for us. … to experience that is a feeling I won’t forget.”

Pueyo: “It was sad, but everyone was proud of us because we did an amazing thing. It was sadness, then happiness. We had an amazing season. It was my biggest experience here — all the fans were waiting for us and cheering for us. It was amazing. The fans mean everything to me.”

Conner: “Our hearts dropped a little bit, like, ‘dang, we were right there.’ You’ve got to keep going and not show your emotions that much. It sucks but you can’t hang your head on that one last shot. It’s great to hear the fans still supporting us regardless win or lose. It just shows how good our fanbase actually is and how close we were as a team. Aari missed that shot and everybody came to her, hugged her.

“When we got back to Tucson that was crazy. We were still a little upset that we didn’t win but like the city just showed so much love and really showed their appreciation for us. We really appreciate what they do for us. I mean it was crazy to come back and the football is stadium packed and a whole bunch of people are cheering.“

Ware: “It was really heartbreaking. It didn’t feel like the game was over. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion. It took a while for it to sink in. People were crying. It was just a really sad moment. When we got back to the locker room, Coach Adia was telling us how proud she was of us, all the things that we had accomplished and how good it was that we made it that far. We were so close. It was really one shot away. I think that was the most heartbreaking part of it. But I mean just hearing the crowd cheering for us, we knew we had done something special. Everyone fell in love with us at that point. As a team being the underdogs and making it that far and it was just amazing experiencing that fan base. …

“Then afterwards coming home and having everyone welcome us home — having that grand entrance speaks to our fan base and just how much support we had. This is amazing. We went back to our apartment — I was rooming with Tara (Manumaleuga) and Mara (Mote) — and there were signs leading up to the elevator and to our door with ‘Go U of A’ and ‘We’re proud of you.’ People we didn’t even know in our building were watching and following us throughout the tournament; it was just an amazing feeling.”