Arizona shocks UConn and establishes NCAA Women’s Pac-12 Final

SAN ANTONIO – Ari Macdonald made sure no one would forget about Arizona again, as MacDonald had 15 out of 26 points in the first half as third seed Wildcats dominated top seed UConn 69-59 and made her first flight in the championship match Patriotism. Arizona will play the No. 1-seeded Stanford match overall on Sunday night in a 12th title match, and Arizona’s defense was claustrophobic, leaving UConn under 36 per cent in shots and limiting Paige Bueckers, who earlier this week became the first player to be honored as The Associated Press Player of the Year, to 18 points in 5 of 13 shootings. Kristen Williams led UConn with 20 points before overpowering the left 3:51, and after trailing up to 14 in the third half, the Bueckers 3 pulled UConn in within 60-55 with 1:26 left. But Arizona made seven free throws out of 10 from there, and Bendo Yeni won with an effortless throw-the-ball pass, and when the final bell sounded, the Arizona players screamed of joy, and the players poured off the bench into the field. Okun quietly ran off the field. She hasn’t reached the game title since 2016, the longest drought since 2005-08 for the show that won 11 national titles, and it was Arizona’s first in the Final Four, losing her only previous match against UConn – which is sweet. 16 games in 1998, when coach Adia Barnes was playing with the Wildcats. UConn meanwhile had 13 consecutive finals from four matches, so it was likely natural that the Wildcats would be ignored. But the NCAA didn’t have to be very upfront about it. Final Four: Stanford wins a nail-beating to advance to the NCAA Women’s Title Match Fourth, Inexplicable Oversight – How Can You Include Only Three Teams in a Final FOUR Video? – This only served to shoot the Wildcats. MacDonald opened a lot of eyes early, creating two 3-point throws in the first four minutes. Sam Thomas also had one, UConn never recovered, and he often seemed exaggerated – nothing much is said about UConn – unable to free himself from Arizona’s binding. When possible, his shots simply won’t fall off. Williams was the only UConn player to have had anything, but the Huskies needed more than that. Okon trailed Baylor by ten points in the third quarter of the Elite Eight, only to rally 19-0 and run away with a win after the controversial no-contact. But this deficit was different. MacDonald was a dervish in a rolling motion, refusing to back down two players 6 inches – or more – taller than they are, and the rest of the Wildcats followed suit. Follow USA TODAY Sports Nancy Armor at @Twitternrarmor.