The Arizona Wildcats keep on dancing, all the way to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
Third-seeded Arizona used a dominant fourth quarter to beat No. 4 seed Indiana in the Elite Eight 66-53 on Monday night. The Wildcats will face UConn in the Final Four on Friday.
These numbers tell the story of how the Cats continue to make history:
33
Coming off a 31-point game in the Sweet 16, Aari McDonald’s encore in the Elite Eight was one to behold. The senior point guard scored 10 of Arizona’s first 12 points and finished with a game-high 33.
She hit 12 of her 20 shots including five 3-pointers.
McDonald had a brief scare in the fourth quarter, when she landed awkwardly on her left ankle and had to leave the game. But McDonald returned to play in the final two minutes to seal the win and cut down the nets.
For the tournament, the Pac-12 Player of the Year has put up stat lines of 20, 17, 31 and 33 points.
20-9
Up just 46-44 heading into the fourth, the Cats put a stranglehold on the game by outscoring the Hoosiers 20-9 in the final 10 minutes.
Arizona held Indiana to 4 of 15 shooting (27%) while UA’s offense made 6 of 14 shots (43%) and buried three 3-pointers.
Tied 48-48 with 7:18 to play, Helena Pueyo and McDonald knocked down back-to-back 3s to push the Wildcats’ lead to six. They held on from there.
0Indiana missed all nine of its 3-point attempts. The Hoosiers had struggled all year from long range, shooting under 29% for the season and 21% in the NCAA Tournament.
Arizona’s defense kept IU’s top 3-point threat, Ali Patberg, at bay, forcing the senior guard to go 0 of 3 from deep and 4 for 11 for the game.
42
The Wildcats controlled the glass against the Hoosiers. The UA outrebounded IU 42-34, posting 11 offensive rebounds. As a result, Arizona got 12 second-chance points.
30:49
Despite the Hoosiers making a push at the end of the third quarter and early in the fourth, the Wildcats largely controlled the scoreboard, leading for 30:49 of the game. The Hoosiers led for 1:03, and the remaining eight minutes were tied.
