In front of a Pac 12 record crowd, Arizona and Coach Adia Barnes won the WNIT Saturday. The sold out McKale Center audience watched their Wildcats claw out a defensive-minded 56-42 win,  by holding Northwestern to 26-percent shooting for the game. Coach Barnes, in her 3rd season, was a star player at Arizona when they last won the WNIT, by beating the same Northwestern her sophomore season.
Aari McDonald wrapped up her phenomenal season by scoring 19 points in the championship game and was named WNIT MVP.  McDonald broke several scoring records and moved up the charts on several others.  She broke the school’s single season scoring record with 871 points, broke the Pac 12 record for most points by a sophomore, was the nation’s 3rd leading scorer and scored in double figures of every game this season. 
The Wildcats, who won 20 games for the first time in eight years and return all five starters next season. Expectations will be higher for next season, but for now, the players and coaches will take some much-deserved time to savor their WNIT victory and reflect on their program-changing season.