Aari McDonald has been the Wildcats’ on-court leader the past three seasons, and she was at her best in the last five minutes of the second-round game Wednesday. “She stepped up at the right time when her team needed it,” said UA coach Adia Barnes.

 Josh Galemore / Arizona Daily Star

Aari McDonald did it again. Only this time, it seemed different — and more significant.

McDonald carried the Arizona Wildcats in the second half of Wednesday’s NCAA Tournament second-round win over BYU. By winning 52-46, the Wildcats punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 — the UA’s first since 1998.

The way McDonald did it — willing her team to victory with her decision-making, timing and adjustments in a come-from-behind win — showed exactly how the All-American guard has grown this year. In the game’s final five minutes alone, McDonald scored seven points, grabbed two defensive rebounds and had two steals. She finished with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting, adding 11 rebounds, four steals, three assists — and one rather surprising block.

It was, as Arizona coach Adia Barnes put it after the game, “McDonald time.” Arizona will play Texas A&M in Saturday’s Sweet 16.

“She showed up, got stops and made big plays she needed and that’s what stars do,” Barnes said. “She stepped up at the right time when her team needed it. And that helped us find a way to win. That’s what great players do.

Arizona women's basketball coach Adia Barnes spoke during Thursday's media session in San Antonio about UA's preparation for its Sweet 16 matchup against Texas A&M

“These are tough times; everybody’s so good. BYU is a great defensive team. They weren’t guarding some of us. They were sagging in the paint to not let Aari drive. She didn’t get frustrated when she made some mistakes, like she had a turnover driving. (She) didn’t get frustrated, stuck with it, made some big plays. That’s all the reasons why we won the game.”

McDonald drew the assignment Wednesday of guarding Shaylee Gonzales, pitting the Pac-12’s Player of the Year against the West Coast Conference’s Co-Player of the Year.

Gonzales put up 11 points in the first half. It wasn’t a typical defensive performance from McDonald, and she knew it.

“I did not help my teammates. I was not a threat on the defensive end. I did not cancel out Shaylee Gonzales like I wanted to,” McDonald said.

“I just had to tell myself, ‘Hey, you’ve got to take it personal. She’s not going to score. You don’t even let her touch the ball.’ I really wanted the game. I know my teammates did and my coaches. I had to buckle down and I had to take pride.”

McDonald held Gonzales to just five points in second half.

Early in the third quarter, McDonald grabbed a steal and fed Cate Reese for a 3-pointer, starting a 7-0 UA run. With 6:39 remaining in the quarter, McDonald — the shortest player on the court — blocked a shot, showing impressive timing.

She’s only had one all season before Monday, in the ASU game 3½ weeks ago, and now has only six in her UA career.

At the start of the fourth quarter, McDonald hesitated, letting the trailing defender fly past her, then sunk a shot.

Her performance put the Wildcats in position for their late rally.

Sam Thomas knocked a 3-pointer from the top of the key, Helena Pueyo hit a jumper from inside the free-throw line and Trinity Baptiste tipped an offensive rebound out to McDonald for a second-chance layup to extend the lead to 49-46. Thomas added a free throw and McDonald put the finishing touches on a win with one more steal and a fast-break moment.

Aari McDonald, right, helped UA outscore BYU 13-3 down the stretch Wednesday. “(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,” said McDonald, who finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Those moments show the growth that McDonald and her teammates have made this season.

It’s one reason they have a shot at making even more history.

With a win Saturday, the UA can before the first team in program history to play in the Elite Eight.

“This one in particular was special,” McDonald said. “(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. We got the dub. I’m proud of this team because the year before we would have got rattled — we didn’t have the experience back then.

“But, we were cool, calm and collected. We came together and we played together. We got the dub.”

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