For the first time since head coach Adia Barnes was a player at Arizona in 1998 the program will be making an appearance in the Sweet 16, but getting there didn't come easy.
The Wildcats (18-5) did not look as sharp as they did in the NCAA Tournament opener on Monday as 11th-seeded BYU challenged UA throughout the game. Eventually, Barnes' team leaned on its senior leaders to squeeze out a 52-46 win over the Cougars in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32 in San Antonio.
Arizona trailed in the game as late as the 4:41 mark of the fourth quarter, but after a 3-pointer from star guard Aari McDonald gave the Wildcats a lead back they never looked back with a steal and layup from McDonald ultimately ending the game.
McDonald and fellow senior Sam Thomas accounted for all but one of Arizona's baskets in the final quarter.
UA's star guard had made just three shots before the fourth quarter and had just four points at halftime. However, she felt the need to raise her level of play down the stretch and her head coach expected nothing less.
"Great players shine at the right time and she hit big shots when it wasn't her best game," Barnes said of McDonald's fourth-quarter performance. "Shots were in and out the first half, didn't really have her legs under her. We were a little bit gassed at times because of all the adrenaline, but then she showed up, got stops and made big plays when she needed to.
That's what stars do. So, she stepped up at the right time when her team needed her and helped us find a way to win. That's what great players do."
While the impressive 13-3 run to end the game will be what grabs the attention, it was Arizona's defense throughout the game that helped the Wildcats keep BYU from jumping out too far ahead while working through their struggles on offense.
UA reached double digits steals (11) in the game as the Wildcats were able to force the Cougars into 15 turnovers while also collecting four blocked shots as a team including two by Thomas.
Barnes has turned defense into the identity of her team, and that aspect of the Wildcats showed up when it mattered most to get to them to just their second Sweet 16 in program history.
"It was neck and neck for so long," junior forward Cate Reese said. "We struggled, but I think that we stayed together as a team and our defense was great. I think that's what really won the game for us."
BYU was upset minded heading into its matchup with the third-seeded Wildcats after it knocked off sixth-seeded Rutgers to open the tournament. Being close to creating some more history was in the back of the UA players' minds when their backs were against the wall late in the game.
"We didn't want to go home, and we applied that to the court and we got a dub," McDonald said.
Arizona will now face second-seeded Texas A&M after the Aggies knocked off No. 7 seed Iowa State on a buzzer-beater in overtime on Wednesday. All four top seeds in the Mercado Region advanced to the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats will look to create some more history with their first trip to the Elite Eight on the line this Saturday at 5 p.m. MST when they face TAMU.
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