• Zoe Lambert

UA film student Zoe Lambert made a documentary about UA women's basketball coach Adia Barnes after the team won the WNIT tournament in 2019.

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. 2:

Arizona wins WNIT championship at home in front of a sold-out crowd in the first major step of the program’s turnaround

What went down: Arizona topples Northwestern 56-42 in the WNIT Championship game on April 6, 2019, at McKale Center.

Arizona coach Adia Barnes waves the net after her Wildcats dropped Northwestern 56-42 in the championship game of the WNIT at McKale Center on Saturday, April 6, 2019.

What we wrote at the time: The Arizona Wildcats believed in themselves, even when no one else did.

It’s how they had an 11-game winning streak early in the season, how they beat two ranked teams β€” Arizona State and Cal β€” and how they hung with some of the best teams in the country.

Then the Wildcats reached the WNIT and made a believer out of Tucson.

Fans packed McKale Center for Saturday’s 56-42 win over Northwestern in the WNIT final, cheering the Wildcats from the opening tip until coach Adia Barnes and her team cut down the nets.

Saturday’s game drew 14,644 fans, a sellout, the largest crowd to ever watch a Pac-12 women’s basketball game and the fourth most to ever watch a WNIT game. The Wildcats drew more and more fans with each of their six postseason wins.

Saturday was β€œmagical,” Barnes said. The victory was Arizona’s 24th of the season; the team won just six games last season and was picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 this year.

β€œIf you would have said we are going to win the WNIT and sell out with almost 15,000 people. I would have said, β€˜Huh?’ But we did it. This city has been amazing,” Barnes said.

β€œThey were determined to win this thing. They had that attitude. I love (that) they played with heart. We always say, β€˜Made for it’ and I think they were made for it and the whole city was made for this situation.”

β€” PJ Brown

Arizona guard Aari McDonald (2) yells for a timeout as Northwestern players converge on her in a scramble for a loose ball in the championship game of the WNIT at McKale Center on Saturday, April 6, 2019.

Player of the game: Aari McDonald.

It was the cherry on top of one of the greatest individual seasons in Arizona history. McDonald, who was the WNIT MVP, scored 19 points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished three assists and had six steals in this game. The All-American finished the season with 890 points β€” the most of any male or female at UA β€” and along with former UConn star Maya Moore were the only players since 2000 to finish a season with 800 points, 200 rebounds and 150 assists.

Northwestern coach Joe McKeown, who watched McDonald play on Pac-12 Networks that year, said her performance gave him a new appreciation for the WNIT MVP.

β€œUntil you’re on the court with her, it’s hard to recreate her speed, her decision-making,” he said. β€œShe is a special player. I’m sure every other coach who has had to coach against her feels the same way. She just seems to have a great knack for the moment.”

Arizona forward Tee Tee Starks spreads the confetti among the crowd as she and her teammates. including forward Destiny Graham, thank the fans following their 56-42 win against Northwestern in the championship game of the WNIT at McKale Center on Saturday, April 6, 2019.

By the numbers: 14,644

With each win, more and more fans showed up until the championship game that sold out McKale Center.

The aftermath: This was all about firsts. The first time Arizona had played in the postseason in a very long time (2011). The first time the Wildcats had won a title in a very long time (also the WNIT, in 1996). It was the moment that everyone realized that the Wildcats were back β€” or at least this was a giant first step. Next would be more winning and making it to the NCAA Tournament. That would come soon enough.

All the key players returned from that team, including McDonald, Sam Thomas, Tee Tee Starks, Dominique McBryde and Cate Reese, to set Arizona up for another good season. That core, in fact, set the Wildcats up for success over the next few seasons.

Arizona forward Dominique McBryde, left, forward Sam Thomas, middle, and forward Tee Tee Starks celebrate after the final whistle in a 56-42 win against Northwestern in the championship game of the WNIT at McKale Center on Saturday, April 6, 2019.

Personal reflections: It was the entire three-week, six-game journey culminating in one moment. On one hand it came out of nowhere. Yet, I sensed something was brewing in my first interviews with the Wildcats well before the tip of the first game. It was in their eyes, the way they carried themselves, as well as the way they talked. They believed so strongly that it made me believe that they would be hoisting the trophy at the end.

Arizona forward Dominique McBryde swims in the red and blue balloons as the Wildcats celebrate on the court following their 56-42 win against Northwestern in the championship game of the WNIT at McKale Center on Saturday, April 6, 2019.

Everyone in the community was talking about the Wildcats, and with each passing game, more of them came out to watch.

The sold-out crowd was alive with every steal, block and basket.

My colleague, Justin Spears, used the β€œDecibels Meter” app to measure just how loud it was as you could barely hear yourself think. It was at 100, which meant β€œthe sound at McKale resembled a combination of a rock concert and car horns.”

For me, the lasting images came as I stood and observed the celebration from the floor. The pure joy on everyone’s faces β€” from players, coaches, staffers, as well as Barnes’ young son, Matteo β€” as they played in the blue and red confetti and, of course, cutting the net down.

I still have the video I took of McBryde doing her best Freddie Mercury impression and singing along to β€œWe Are the Champions” as she stood atop the ladder ready to cut her section of the net.

It was the perfect moment as the Wildcats climbed to their first major rung of their turnaround.

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.

Cover 5: PJ Brown's most memorable games on the beat (No. 3)
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Cover 5: PJ Brown's most memorable games on the beat (No. 3)

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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 β€”Β Longtime UA softball coach Mike Candrea’s final game as Arizona’s leader

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Cover 5: PJ Brown's most memorable games on the Arizona beat (No. 4)
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Cover 5: PJ Brown's most memorable games on the Arizona beat (No. 4)

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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 β€”Β Arizona edges Stanford in a dramatic overtime finish to prove they belong on the big stage

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Cover 5: PJ Brown's most memorable games on the Arizona beat (No. 5)
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Cover 5: PJ Brown's most memorable games on the Arizona beat (No. 5)

  • PJ Brown Arizona Daily Star
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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 β€”Β Arizona narrowly misses taking home NCAA Tournament trophy

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Contact sports reporter PJ Brown at pjbrown@tucson.com. On Twitter: @PJBrown09