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. 4:
Arizona edges Stanford in a dramatic overtime finish to prove they belong on the big stage
What went down: No. 13 Arizona beat fourth-ranked Stanford 73-72 in overtime on Feb. 28, 2020, at McKale Center.
It was a tight battle all evening, but the Wildcats rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie it at 63-63 and send the game to overtime. With 10 seconds left in overtime, All-American Aari McDonald weaved her way through traffic to give the Wildcats the game-winning points.
Sam Thomas got a key two-handed block on a Kiana Williams’ layup attempt on the very next possession to seal the victory. It was revenge for losing the year before in the final 30 seconds of the game.
Arizona guard Aari McDonald (2) reacts after just missing the recovery of a loose ball against No. 4 Stanford in the third quarter of the No. 13 Wildcats’ victory, Feb. 28, 2020 in McKale Center.
What we wrote at the time: McDonald, playing after missing the last two games with a lower leg injury, had a chance to play the hero in regulation.
With 21 seconds left in regulation, McDonald drove to the basket and drew a foul. She knocked down both free throws to tie the game at 63.
Stanford took a timeout. Helena Pueyo got a hand on the inbound pass and Amari Carter tapped it off Nadia Fingall, giving Arizona the ball with 13.2 seconds left.
Stanford allowed McDonald, who was wearing a heavy brace on her left leg, to take an open jumper from the top of the key as time expired. It rimmed out.
That didn’t deter McDonald, who scored 13 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. She kept on fighting — even in overtime after she turned the ball over with :42 left.
“I was like ‘OK, time to score,’" McDonald said. “So, we got to (get the) stop and convert it. I didn’t hang my head — it was just next play. It was gutsy. I knew my team needed that.”
Thomas scored 17 points and added a big block in overtime, two steals and six assists. Dominique McBryde had 13 points, one block and one steal; and Pueyo chipped in 11 points and two steals. …
For the Wildcats, beating one of the sport's elite programs is a game-changer.
“I think now moving forward, because this is a huge confidence builder — I think when you beat No. 4 team in the country, you have momentum going to the Pac 12 Tournament and going into the NCAA Tournament," (UA head coach Adia) Barnes said. "You're going to believe you can beat anybody. And I think that's where we're at right now."
— PJ Brown
The No. 13 Arizona Wildcats surround guard Aari McDonald (2) after their overtime win against No.4 Stanford, Feb. 28, 2020 in McKale Center.
Player of the game: Aari McDonald. She had the game-winner, still nursing a leg injury. It doesn’t get much better than that.
By the numbers: 8 and 1. It was Arizona’s first program win over a Top 5 team. Arizona snapped an eight-game losing streak against Stanford.
The aftermath: With this win, UA was eligible — by finishing in the Top 16 in the country — to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. However, that honor would be delayed as COVID-19 shut the world down just a few weeks later.
This is one of the most important wins in the Barnes coaching era. While Arizona had other big wins this season against Texas, UCLA and Oregon State, this one changed everything for the Wildcats. Despite not playing in the NCAA Tournament that spring, this program-changing win allowed what came next — a magical run to the 2021 National Championship game.
Three key players graduated in 2020 — McBryde, Amari Carter and Lucia Alonso. Alonso, Barnes’ first point guard, provided steadiness on the court, Carter could knock down a mid-range jumper at just the right time and McBryde, well, the offense ran through her. She was the one who made everyone on the court just a little better.
And despite not finishing the season with a run in the NCAA Tournament McBryde told the Star in May that while it was tough, “We just beat Stanford at home and that was the highlight of my career.”
Arizona forwards Dominique McBryde (20), left, and Sam Thomas (14) watch the clock tick off as Arizona guard Aari McDonald (2) shields the ball on the last play of overtime in the No. 13 Wildcats' 73-72 win over No. 4 Stanford in Center, on Feb. 28, 2020.
Personal reflections: McKale was packed and the fans were electric. It was similar to the scene the previous spring when excitement built around the Wildcats as they marched through the WNIT field to win the title in front of 14,644 fans — a sellout.
While McDonald won the game, it was a team effort with Thomas getting the block at the end, McBryde and Pueyo starting mini rallies and the swarming defense that became the Wildcats’ calling card.
For McDonald it was an extra special performance at McKale Center. Wearing a huge leg brace, not getting her rhythm going until the fourth quarter, missing a jumper at the end of regulation, but sticking with it to not miss on her next opportunity. It’s the stuff of legends.
As for the Wildcats, it’s hard not to look back and think ‘what if.’ If they had been able to play in the NCAA Tournament and host the first two rounds, would there have been back-to-back treks to the Final Four or the national championship game?
Arizona was having the best season in the Barnes’ coaching era — one of the best in history finishing 24-7 — and to go from the highest of highs in beating Stanford to the devastating low of having the NCAA Tournament cancelled with the world shutting down just a few short weeks later was — and still is — incomprehensible.
It’s also what makes the next season even sweeter. McDonald, Thomas, Pueyo, Cate Reese and others had so much more to play for with unfinished business and extra motivation that took them within one point of winning the title the next spring.
Arizona head coach Adia Barnes reaches to give guard Helena Pueyo (13) a congratulatory smack after Pueyo drains a three pointer late in the fourth quarter against No. 4 Stanford in McKale Center on Feb. 28, 2020.
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
Arizona's home win over No. 4 Stanford on Jan. 28, 2020 may have come 13 months before the teams would battle in the 2021 NCAA Division I National Championship game. But the No. 13 Wildcats' 2020 win over the Cardinal has proven a precursor of things to come not only in the series between the Pac-12 foes, but in terms of Arizona's staying power as a nationally-ranked team.
