You’d be hard-pressed to find a player in Arizona women’s basketball history that’s had a bigger impact than Aari McDonald.
McDonald is the Pac-12 Player of the Year and Pac-12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and has been named a second-team Associated Press All-American for the second year in a row.
This season marks McDonald’s final run at the UA. As the Wildcats look to make the program’s first-ever Elite Eight, we take a look at McDonald’s best performances at Arizona:
Start of something special
Opponent: Loyola Marymount
When: Nov. 13, 2018
Where: McKale Center
Final stats: 39 points (20-23 FT), 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 6 turnovers
What went down: Arizona, meet Aari. Aari, meet Arizona. The game after McDonald’s UA debut, where she dropped 22 points against Idaho State, the Washington transfer recorded a season-high 39 points, becoming the first Wildcat since LaBrittney Jones in 2015 to score at least 30. McDonald made 9 of 21 field-goal attempts but the majority of her scoring came from the free-throw line, where she went 20 for 23. However, the Wildcats fell to LMU 66-64. Regardless of the outcome, it was one of McDonald’s top offensive showings as a Wildcat. A star was born.
She said it: “I took it upon myself to get my teammates together, just try to talk, just try to be a leader out there.” — McDonald
Treinta in Tempe
Opponent: Arizona State
When: Feb. 28, 2021
Where: Desert Financial Arena, Tempe
Final stats: 30 points (10-19 FG), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals
What went down: McDonald’s season-high performance of 30 points and six steals wasn’t enough, and Arizona was upset by ASU 66-64. McDonald will finish her UA career with a 4-2 record against the Sun Devils.
She said it: “We gave them momentum, we let them stick around. Then they just punched us in the face and took it from us. And that’s unfortunate.” — Barnes
Wildcats make program history with in Corvallis
Opponent: No. 9 Oregon State
When: Feb. 9, 2020
Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon
Final stats: 22 points (8-23 FG), 9 rebounds, 4 steals
What went down: McDonald was once again the Wildcats’ top bucket-getter in the program’s first-ever road win over a top-10 team. After the UA fell to the Beavers in nail-biting fashion at McKale Center, Arizona avenged its loss to win in overtime and snap a 12-game losing streak to OSU. In the final 17 seconds of overtime, McDonald iced the game with a steal, a pair of free-throws and a defensive rebound. Arizona’s win over the Beavers sparked a four-game winning streak.
She said it: “It feels great. Today my team showed a lot of toughness and we stuck with ’em and we finished it out.” — McDonald
Aari drops 35 in 3 OTS
Opponent: UCLA
When: Jan. 27, 2019
Where: McKale Center
Final stats: 35 points (14-25 FG), 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals
What went down: McDonald’s sixth 30-plus-point game as a Wildcat nearly helped the UA upset UCLA. With the game on the line in double-overtime, McDonald sunk a 3-pointer to extend the game into a third extra period — the first triple-overtime contest between two Pac-12 teams since 2001. The Bruins dominated the glass and hauled in 27 offensive rebounds, and survived 98-93.
She said it: “I liked the way my team fought despite the outcome. We definitely have things to work on, but we definitely showed a lot of fight.” — McDonald
Put a ring on it
Opponent: No. 3 Oregon
When: March 7, 2020
Where: Las Vegas
Final stats: 34 points (14-25 FG), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers
What went down: Oregon was a buzzsaw during the 2019-20 season, boasting top-10 WNBA draft picks Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard. Arizona lost to the Ducks twice in the regular season, then faced them once again in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals. Both teams shot over 40%, but Oregon’s star power was too overwhelming for the rising Cats, and Arizona was defeated 88-70.
What happened after the game changed McDonald’s life forever.
McDonald walked over to her family members, who held up placards that spelled out “Will you marry me?” Her boyfriend, former UA defensive back Devon Brewer, knelt down and proposed with an engagement ring. The entire thing was shown on the Pac-12 Networks postgame show.
She said it: “I was so shocked. I was looking and was like ‘What does that say?’ And I saw him get on his knee and I was like ‘Oh my god.’ It’s crazy. I should have put everything together because the last couple of months he’s really been talking about it. I am just shocked because my parents, my siblings and him — even my teammates plotted against me. I’m just happy.” — McDonald
Arizona guard Aari McDonald (2) cuts down her part of the net after their 56-42 win against Northwestern in the championship game of the WNIT at McKale Center, Saturday, April 6, 2019, Tucson, Ariz.
Cutting down the nets
Opponent: Northwestern
When: April 6, 2019
Where: McKale Center
Final stats: 19 points (8-17 FG), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 steals, 7 turnovers
What went down: On a sunny, cloudless April day in Tucson, a line of spectators wrapped around McKale Center hours before Arizona’s WNIT championship game against Northwestern. Near the end of the game, the McKale Center public address announcer relayed that Arizona had set a Pac-12 attendance record. Those fans in attendance caught a glimpse of the Aari McDonald Show, as she tallied a game-high 19 points and six steals in a WNIT championship win.
It wasn’t McDonald’s best performance, but winning the WNIT changed the direction of the Wildcats’ program. She set Arizona’s single-season scoring record with 890 points in 2019.
She said it: “It’s just big. I am so excited just to be part of this team. We did amazing things this program hasn’t done in years. It’s exciting. The best is yet to come.” — McDonald
Arizona guard Aari McDonald put on a clinic in Austin at the beginning of last season, pouring in 44 points on 14-of-18 shooting in the Wildcats’ rout of then-No. 22 Texas.
A record-setting showing
Opponent: No. 22 Texas
When: Nov. 17, 2019
Where: Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
Final stats: 44 points (14-18 FG, 14-14 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 turnovers
What went down: McDonald broke Arizona’s single-game scoring record with 44 points as the Wildcats beat the Longhorns 83-58. She remains the only player in program history to score 40 in a game.
She said it: “No one could guard Aari. She proved when it counted … how she’s going to step up and perform, that she is one of the best guards in the country.” — Barnes
The Stanford stunner
Opponent: No. 4 Stanford
When: Feb. 28, 2020
Where: McKale Center
Final stats: 20 points (7-20 FG), 4 rebounds, 3 assists
What went down: Following a sluggish start, McDonald flipped a switch. The UA’s star guard scored 13 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. McDonald turned the ball over with 42 seconds remaining in overtime, but Helena Pueyo and Amari Carter’s defense on the inbounds pass coming out of the timeout break gave the Wildcats the ball with 13.1 seconds left. McDonald sank the game-winning jump shot with eight seconds left to give Arizona a 73-72 triumph. Arizona’s victory over the fourth-ranked Cardinal was the UA’s first-ever win against a top-five opponent.
She said it: “I was like ‘OK, time to score.’ 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.” — McDonald
‘McDonald time’
Opponent: 11th-seeded BYU
When: Wednesday
Where: UTSA Convocation Center, San Antonio
Final stats: 17 points (7-16 FG), 11 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists, 3 turnovers
What went down: The second-seeded Wildcats trailed 43-39 with 5:12 left to play when “McDonald time” began. McDonald posted seven points, two rebounds and two steals in the closing minutes to help Arizona beat BYU 52-46 and punch the UA’s ticket to its first Sweet 16 since 1998. Shaylee Gonzales, the West Coast Conference co-Player of the Year, was limited to five second-half points with McDonald as the primary defender.
McDonald — and Arizona — will have an opportunity to make more history and enter uncharted territory on Saturday.
She said it: “This one in particular was special. (I) definitely didn’t want to end my season — didn’t want to go home. I just had to put my team on my back. We got some key stops, but definitely had to buckle down on defense. … just speechless.” — McDonald
