Timeline of the critical moments that were a part of the Arizona Wildcats' women's basketball team's historical season that was cut short because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
From setting records and re-writing the history books, to a Senior Day letdown, the 2020 season was one to never forget. Here's how it happened:
Nov. 5: Cate Reese scores 22 points and grabs seven rebounds as the Arizona Wildcats open their season with a 74-42 win over North Dakota in McKale Center.
Nov. 17: Aari McDonald scores a program-record 44 points on 14-of-18 shooting as the Wildcats upset No. 21 Texas 83-58 in Austin. McDonald hits all 14 of her free throw attempts and grabs three rebounds in the landmark victory.
Dec. 29: McDonald scores 20 points and Reese records her fourth double-double of the season as Arizona, now ranked No. 18 nationally, beats Arizona State 58-53. The win is Arizona’s first in Tempe since 2000. “We are no longer in a rebuilding stage,” coach Adia Barnes said. “We are in a ‘how are we going to get to the Top 10 or to a Final Four.”
Jan 5: 10th-ranked UCLA outscored Arizona 28-13 and beats the 18th-ranked Wildcats 70-58 in Los Angeles, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season.
Arizona Wildcats guard Aari McDonald (2) pushes towards the basket as Oregon State Beavers forward Taylor Jones (44) tries to block the shot during a game at the McKale Center, on Jan. 10, 2020.
Jan. 10: More than 6,000 fans pack McKale Center, but Oregon State’s Mikayla Pivec crashes the party. Her shot with 1.4 seconds remaining boosts the third-ranked Beavers to a 63-61 win over the 18th-ranked Wildcats. “We’re right there,” Barnes says. “We played within one basket. I’m proud of us.”
Jan. 12: Sabrina Ionescu records a triple-double and ices the game in the final minute with four free throws and second-ranked Oregon beats No. 18 Arizona 71-64.
Jan. 24: McDonald’s 24-point, 11-rebound effort paces the 21st-ranked Wildcats, who beat No. 18 ASU 59-53 in McKale Center. The game draws 10,160 fans — the largest crowd in the history of the rivalry.
Arizona’s Helena Pueyo, left, and Aari McDonald, right, smothered UCLA in the Wildcats’ 92-66 win over the No. 8 Bruins at McKale Center on Jan. 31. The loss avenged UA’s defeat at Pauley Pavilion in early January that marked Arizona’s first loss of the season after starting 13-0.
Jan. 31: 16th-ranked Arizona beats No. 8 UCLA 92-66 at McKale Center, marking the UA’s first win over a top-10 opponent since 2004. McDonald scores 27 points for the Wildcats, who hit 11 of their 24 3-point shots. “I was on fire,” McDonald says. “I felt different today.”
Feb. 7: No. 3 Oregon explodes for 33 points in the third quarter alone and hands 12th-ranked Arizona an 85-52 loss in Eugene.
“They made us pay for every mistake,” Barnes says. “There is a reason why we’re (No.) 12 in the country. There is a reason why they’re (third), and we came here and got killed.”
Feb 9: The Wildcats outscore No. 9 Oregon State 9-2 in overtime and win 65-58. Arizona’s victory, coming on the heels of the loss in Eugene, is its first-ever against a top-10 team on the road.
“We didn’t want to end the game with another overtime buzzer-beater, last-second buzzer-beater, whatever it may be,” Arizona’s Dominique McBryde says.
Feb. 16: Sam Thomas and McDonald combine for 39 points as the 12th-ranked Wildcats beat Washington State 72-57, completing their third Pac-12 sweep of the season. The UA hit 10 of its 19 3-point attempts. “Sam Thomas was just really aggressive on offense,” Barnes says. “We’re just so much better when Sam is confident.”
Feb. 21: No. 11 Arizona beats Utah 85-69 without McDonald, who sat because of a lower-leg injury. Thomas puts a career-high 31 points and three other Cats score in double figures. “We have people who have the mentality to step up,” Barnes says.
Feb. 23: Arizona struggles without McDonald, falling to Colorado 50-38. The Wildcats shoot just 24.5% from the field.
Arizona forward Dominique McBryde (20), left, and Arizona forward Sam Thomas (14) watch the clock tick off as Arizona guard Aarion McDonald (2) shields the ball on the last play of overtime against Stanford in their Pac12 basketball game at McKale Center, February 28, 2020, Tucson, Ariz.
Feb. 28: Five days after arguably its worst loss of the season, Arizona makes history. McDonald hits a game-winning layup with 10 seconds left in overtime and the 13th-ranked Wildcats beat No. 4 Stanford in McKale Center. The victory is Arizona’s first ever against a top-five team. McDonald, nursing a leg injury, scores 13 of her 20 points in the final 15 minutes of the game. “I was like ‘OK, time to score,’ ” she says. “It was gutsy. I knew my team needed that.”
March 1: Last-place Cal spoils senior day, pulling off a 55-54 win over 13th-ranked UA. McDonald misses a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game.
March 6: Reese scores a career-high 30 points and Arizona exacts revenge on Cal with an 86-73 win in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. “I felt really confident in the beginning of this game and throughout the game,” Reese says. “My teammates found me, and it just felt right.”
March 7: Top-seeded Oregon once again flexes its muscle, beating the Cats 88-70 behind Ionescu’s 31 points. McDonald shines in the losing effort, scoring 34 points. McDonald’s boyfriend, former UA football player Devon Brewer, proposes marriage in the moments following the game. McDonald says she “saw him get on his knee and I was like ‘Oh, my God.’ It’s crazy.” She says yes.
March 17: The UA ranks No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll, its best finish in the poll since 1998.
