Narrowing down the best moments of Arizona’s 2019-20 season is not an easy feat.
Seemingly every week, there was another big accomplishment or highlight-reel moment. After looking back through the 12th-ranked Wildcats’ 24-7 season, we came up with these five moments:
Nov. 17: Wildcats dismantle No. 22 Texas on the road
Aari McDonald scored a program-record 44 points as Arizona beat the Longhorns 83-58 in a game broadcast on the Longhorn Network. UA’s defense was front and center, forcing 21 turnovers.
What stood out: McDonald’s efficiency. Arizona’s star guard 14 of 18 from the field and hit all 14 of her free throws. McDonald picked up ESPNW’s Player of the Week award, and a week later Arizona was ranked in the AP poll for the first time since 2005.
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.” — UA coach Adia Barnes
Jan. 31: UA routs No. 8 UCLA by 26
Arizona’s Helena Pueyo, left, and Aari McDonald, right, smothered UCLA in the Wildcats’ 92-66 win over the No. 8 Bruins at McKale Center on Jan. 31. The loss avenged UA’s defeat at Pauley Pavilion in early January that marked Arizona’s first loss of the season after starting 13-0.
Arizona came out punching and never let up, crushing then-ranked No. 8 UCLA 92-66 in McKale Center. The Wildcats scored 14 points off turnovers, held UCLA under its 74.4-point scoring average and otherwise dominated the Bruins. McDonald scored 27 points, Sam Thomas added 20 and Cate Reese chipped in 13.
What stood out: The victory was Arizona’s first win over a top-10 team in 16 years.
She said it: “We always talk about with this program — about leaving a legacy. And this is how you start. I’m just proud of them. We played our butts off tonight. We continue to do things that no one expected but we expected. We didn’t go to half court and celebrate … we didn’t jump up and act like we won a national championship, because this is an expectation, we expected to win the game. We know we can. For us this is not an upset. We know nationally it’s an upset, but we feel like we can play with anyone. That’s just kind of our standard.” — Barnes
Feb. 28: Arizona stuns No. 4 Stanford in OT
McDonald snaked her way through multiple defenders to hit the game-winning shot, and Arizona shocked the fourth-ranked Cardinal 73-72 in overtime at McKale Center.
The game was full of other big moments, especially in the extra period. Thomas got a key two-handed block on a Kiana Williams’ layup attempt. Dominique McBryde crashed the boards, Amari Carter knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner and Thomas hit another 3 from NBA range.
What stood out: The win was Arizona’s first ever over a top-5 team. Five Wildcats scored in double figures — McDonald (20), Thomas (17), McBryde (13 points), Helena Pueyo (11) and Carter (10). McDonald played 28 minutes — and all of the fourth quarter and overtime — on an injured lower leg after missing two games the previous week.
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
March 6: Reese drops 30 on Cal in Pac-12 tourney
Reese scored a game-high 30 points as Arizona beat Cal 86-73 in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas, avenging a loss from five days earlier. The sophomore forward hit 13 of 15 shots from the field, even nailing a 3-pointer from the corner late in the game.
What stood out: The adversity Reese had overcome. During a stretch at the end of the season she battled issues related to her diabetes, leading to multiple hospital trips. Two weeks earlier, a drained Reese hit just 1 of 11 shots and played just 27 minutes in a 50-38 loss at Colorado.
She said it: “I felt really confident in the beginning of this game and throughout the game. My teammates found me, and it just felt right. In the past couple of games something has felt off with me and today I just felt like myself.” — Reese
March 7: Wildcats push top-seeded Ducks in Pac-12 Tournament
All-American Sabrina Ionescu, right, and the Ducks were just too good in beating UA three times this year. But the Wildcats played Oregon tough twice, and Aari McDonald, left, scored 34 in the Pac-12 Tournament.
When is a loss more like a win? The Wildcats took on No. 3 Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals and didn’t back down. Both teams combined for a Pac-12 tourney-record 25 three-pointers and shot 48% from beyond the arc. In 39 minutes, McDonald scored a tournament-high 34 points.
The Wildcats lost 88-70, but played much better than they did a month earlier, when they lost to powerful Oregon by 33 points in Eugene.
What stood out: McDonald got engaged courtside following what ended up being the Wildcats’ final game of the season.
She said it: “It’s a pretty special moment for her. Like they said, ‘She’s the real MVP tonight.’ You know, it puts everything else in perspective. So that’s cool.” — Pac-12 Networks analyst and former Washington player Kelsey Plum, about McDonald.
