Final Four: Upstart Arizona stuns UConn 69-59, advances to first women’s NCAA title game
forget about Arizona again.
McDonald had 15 of her 26 points in the first half, setting the tone as the third-seeded Wildcats dominated top-seeded UConn 69-59 and earned their first trip to the national championship game. Arizona will play overall No. 1 seed Stanford on Sunday night in an all-Pac 12 title game.
Arizona’s defense was stifling, holding UConn to less than 36 percent shooting and limiting Paige Bueckers, who earlier this week became the first freshman honored as The Associated Press player of the year, to 18 points on 5 of 13 shooting. Christyn Williams led UConn with 20 before fouling out with 3:51 left.
After trailing by as much as 14 late in the third, a Bueckers 3 pulled UConn within 60-55 with 1:26 left. But Arizona made seven of 10 free throws from there, and Bendu Yeaney sealed the win with a strip and an easy layup.
Stanford wins nail-biter to advance to women’s NCAA title game
ANALYSIS: Stanford, South Carolina showcased best of women’s sports
Arizona was left out of the NCAA’s promotional video ahead of the Final Four, an inexplicable oversight — how do you only include three teams in a Final FOUR video? — that only served to fire up the Wildcats. McDonald opened lots of eyes early, making two 3-pointers in the first four minutes. Sam Thomas also had one, and UConn never really recovered.
It often looked overmatched — not something often said about UConn — unable to free itself from Arizona’s vise. When it could, its shots simply wouldn’t fall. The only UConn player who had anything going was Williams, but the Huskies needed more than that.
UConn had trailed Baylor by 10 points in the third quarter of the Elite Eight, only to rally with a 19-0 run and escape with the win after a controversial no-call. But this deficit was different. McDonald was a whirling dervish of action, refusing to back down from players 6 inches — or more — taller than she is, and the rest of the Wildcats followed her lead.
Follow USA TODAY Sports reporter Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour
