This summer, each member of the Star’s sports team will assemble a list of the five most memorable Arizona games they’ve covered since joining the beat. This week, PJ Brown will reflect on five women’s basketball and softball games:
Brown’s No. 5:
Arizona narrowly misses taking home NCAA Tournament trophy
What went down: Stanford edges Arizona 54-53 as a last-chance shot from Aari McDonald bounces off the back of the rim in the national championship game on April 4, 2021, at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
What we wrote at the time: One last shot was all Arizona needed.
Just a little more of that mojo the Wildcats were riding throughout the last three weeks of the NCAA Tournament. A bank, a kind roll, something.
Fans rose to their feet as the game came down to the wire. Arizona trailed Stanford by one point with six seconds left and with the ball.
There was no questioning who would take the shot. Aari McDonald had brought Arizona to this moment; she had earned the right to win a title with one basket.
McDonald took the inbounds pass, was swarmed by Stanford defenders, spun and let it fly one last time.
Only this time it didn’t fall, as Stanford edged Arizona 54-53 for the national championship. McDonald and Adia Barnes embraced after the buzzer sounded. Barnes told her star player to “pick up my head,” McDonald said. “That she trusts me to put the team on my back … and just saying how proud she was of us and how far we’ve come.”
Arizona guard Aari McDonald, right, is met by Stanford defenders, including guard Haley Jones (30), in the second half of the NCAA Tournament championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio on April 4, 2021. Stanford won 54-53.
About the shot, which McDonald took from beyond the top of the key?
“I got denied,” McDonald said, “I took a tough, contested shot, and it didn’t fall.”
The all-Pac-12 final ended with Stanford bringing home its first championship since 1992.
McDonald, who will leave Arizona as the best player in program history, finished with 22 points. She scored in double figures in all 92 games she played as a Wildcat, the longest active streak in the nation.
Still, it wasn’t until last month that McDonald — the Pac-12 Player of the Year — caught the attention of the nation. She willed the Wildcats to their next NCAA Tournament game … and then another one, and another one, and another one. In six NCAA Tournament games, McDonald scored 149 points.
Still, Sunday’s loss will sting.
“We made it. We came within one basket of winning the national championship,” Barnes said. “It’s hard. My heart is broken.”
— PJ Brown
Player of the game: Too hard to pick just one. During this entire run and this game, each Wildcat contributed. McDonald (22 points, two steals) hit a 3 to pull within one point, 51-50, with less than four minutes left. Shaina Pellington took over in the second quarter and in the fourth, playing her best game of the season (15 points, seven rebounds, three steals). Sam Thomas pulled down seven rebounds, blocked a shot and grabbed a steal. Trinity Baptiste scored in key moments, dished two assists and pulled down four key rebounds. Bendu Yeaney had five steals.
By the numbers: 12 and 11. The Wildcats forced 21 turnovers (12 steals) but could only convert those into 12 points, which was unusual during this run after turning 19 into 28 points against Texas A&M and 12 into 14 points against UConn. Many opportunities were missed.
The Wildcats spotted Stanford an eight-point lead at the end of first quarter — they were down 11, 14-3, at one point — then buckled down, played better defense and rallied back.
The aftermath: The Wildcats and Barnes caught the imagination of the country. Barnes found herself responding to national media requests every day over the next few months. She joined the ranks of assistant coaches for USA Basketball, helping the squad win gold at the AmeriCup Tournament.
Barnes was courted by other schools before UA ponied up a second raise in just a month’s time. This one brought her $5.85 million over five years.
McDonald would be selected No. 3 in the WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream, landing on the All-Rookie Team. Baptiste was drafted by the Indiana Fever, was waived and plays professionally overseas.
At the welcome-home pep rally, Thomas announced she would be coming back for her fifth year. The Wildcats would host a regional in the NCAA Tournament the very next season.
Arizona's Aari McDonald takes a selfie with fans following the Wildcats' arrival ceremony at Arizona Stadium on April 5, 2021. Roughly 1,200 fans cheered for the Arizona women's basketball team as it arrived home after its run to the NCAA Tournament championship game.
Personal reflections: This was the culmination of a magical run.
While McDonald was the true MVP of the tournament, each of her teammates had big moments. Thomas was always in position to alter the game — grabbing 19 steals and blocking seven shots along the way. In the Elite Eight matchup against Indiana, it was Helena Pueyo somehow rolling a deflected ball to Yeaney for an easy basket and Baptiste pulling down a much-needed defensive rebound as McDonald watched from the sideline getting treatment on her ankle.
However, the biggest thing that stood out to me in the national championship game is after the Wildcats lost, the fans starting cheering “U of A, U of A.” It’s all you could hear in the arena.
The image that is etched in my mind forever: Thomas turns to the fans and waves as she walks off the floor. Not only does that wrap up Thomas in one visual moment but it also was the essence of this Wildcat team.
As the confetti falls Arizona forward Sam Thomas (14) and her teammates wave to fans after losing to Stanford in the NCAA Tournament championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio on April 4, 2021. Stanford won 54-53.
This team had a special bond with its fans from the start of Barnes’ coaching tenure. Everyone was on this journey together. It was a hard year with COVID-19 and the Wildcats living in a bubble with their fans not being allowed to watch them play at McKale Center. When the fans showed up in San Antonio to support the Wildcats, it seemed only natural that it was Thomas who thanked them.
Then came the welcome-home rally. Who else has a big party after they lose? Only in Tucson would the fans come out to celebrate a team in that way.
Cover 5: Relive the entire list of PJ Brown's most memorable games on the Arizona beat
This summer, each member of the Star’s sports team will count down five of the most memorable Arizona games they’ve covered since joining the beat. Here's PJ Brown's list.
This summer, each member of the Star’s sports team will count down the five most memorable Arizona games they’ve covered since joining the beat. This week's participant: PJ Brown. Here's PJ's No. 1 moment...
This summer, each member of the Star’s sports team will count down the five most memorable Arizona games they’ve covered since joining the beat. This week's participant: PJ Brown. Here's No. 2 ...
This summer, each member of the Star’s sports team will count down the five most memorable Arizona games they’ve covered since joining the beat. This week's participant: PJ Brown. Here's No. 3 — Longtime UA softball coach Mike Candrea’s final game as Arizona’s leader
This summer, each member of the Star’s sports team will count down the five most memorable Arizona games they’ve covered since joining the beat. This week's participant: PJ Brown. Here's No. 4 — Arizona edges Stanford in a dramatic overtime finish to prove they belong on the big stage
This summer, each member of the Star’s sports team will count down the five most memorable Arizona games they’ve covered since joining the beat. This week's participant: PJ Brown. Here's No. 5 — Arizona narrowly misses taking home NCAA Tournament trophy
The Arizona Wildcats basketball program will spend part of the summer abroad in Israel and Abu Dhabi. Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said "the more you travel, the better, more well-rounded people you become.” Video by Justin Spears/Arizona Daily Star (July 24, 2023)
