For the first time since 1996, the Arizona women's basketball team cut down the nets after winning the WNIT championship. In front of a sellout crowd of 14,644 at McKale Center β a program and Pac-12 record β the Wildcats cruised by Northwestern 56-42 on Saturday.Β
UA sophomore guard Aari McDonald finished the afternoon with 19 points and seven rebounds to be named the tournament MVP and to the all-WNIT team.
Arizona finished 6-24 last season, improving to 24-13 this season after six wins in the WNIT to account for the largest turnaround in program history.
All five starters in McDonald, Cate Reese, Sam Thomas, Tee Tee Starks and Dominique McBryde are set to return to UA next season. Head coach Adia Barnes and her starting lineup spoke during the postgame press conference and sported the WNIT championship t-shirts, here's what they had to say.Β
