Sometimes an upset doesn't feel much like an upset.

Arizona sealed its biggest win in program history Friday night by taking down national powerhouse UConn in a Final Four game that ultimately didn't have much drama.

Aari McDonald put together another impressive postseason performance as the Wildcats led wire to wire to take down the Huskies, 69-59, at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

McDonald dominated the game on both ends of the floor as the UA senior finished the night with 26 points to help lead the Wildcats (21-5) in their monumental victory to set up a matchup with Stanford for the national title on Sunday.

"We were the underdog," McDonald said. "I mean, we kind of felt that way all season. That kind of boosts our confidence, makes us play harder that nobody thinks we can beat these top teams, just accomplish the things we've accomplished. They were tight. My teammates have been playing free this whole tournament. I mean, hey, we're made for it, like coach says."

No lead feels safe against the Huskies, but the Wildcats managed to lead by double digits for a big portion of the night thanks to their suffocating defense. UConn went down 14 points during the third quarter, which was the biggest deficit this season for Geno Auriemma's squad.

The 22 points UConn scored through the first half added up to the lowest-scoring half for the Huskies this season while the 59 points they were held to by the Wildcats was also the lowest of the season.

UConn pulled within five points at the 1:03 mark but the Wildcats knocked down several key free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

"For UConn there was more pressure" UA head coach Adia Barnes said. "For us, it's a lot easier to play loose when there isn't pressure. But I'm just happy. We got hot at the right time during the tournament. If you look back at two or three weeks ago, we weren't playing our best basketball. We started to change some things and got better. Just became more united right before the tournament, just found ways.

"I'm just so proud everybody has stepped up in different ways. Everybody from Sam (Thomas), Cate (Reese), Lauren (Ware), Helena (Pueyo), Shaina (Pellington), Aari, Bendu (Yeaney), Trinity (Baptiste). Everybody has done a little bit more. That's all I can ask for. They're playing their hearts out. They believe, I believe. We don't care if anybody believes."

Outside of another career performance from McDonald, who had four of the team's seven 3-pointers, it was the Arizona defense that shined throughout the night. The Wildcats forced UConn into 12 turnovers in the game that turned into 14 points while also keeping the Huskies' stars in check, including standout freshman Paige Bueckers who had just five points in the first half.

"I'm just proud that we were able to beat a really good team that's really hard to guard," Barnes said. "I was not comfortable even at five points in a minute and a half is scary against them. This year they've stolen a lot of games down the stretch. The clock couldn't run faster.

"Just proud we found a way to bear down and get stops. We beat a really, really good team. We just played a little bit better tonight."

Auriemma is used to being in the Final Four, but by the end of the night he simply had to tip his hat to the Wildcats on their first trip to the title game.

"That first half, it was incredibly difficult for us to get anything done," he said. "And I thought the intensity level that they played with and the aggressiveness on the defensive end, we just didn't respond as I hoped we would. That's two games in a row now that we faced that kind of pressure. I think it took its toll.

"All the credit goes to Arizona. Aari McDonald, I said going into the game, I don't think we've had to play against a guard as good as she is, and she proved it tonight. She just dominated the entire game start to finish. We pride ourselves on being pretty good at certain things. We had no answer for her."

The Wildcats will now face Stanford (30-2) for a chance to win the National Championship after the Cardinal beat South Carolina in the earlier game. UA has lost twice to Stanford this season. Tip off for the final game of the season is set for 3 p.m. MST on Sunday.

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