Aari McDonald had 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal in 21 minutes when the Wildcats opened their season against North Dakota on Friday. It wasn’t her best game in an Arizona jersey by any measurement.
“Aari didn’t play well tonight,” head coach Adia Barnes said after that game. “This was not an Aari-like game. I thought she missed some shots (she) usually hits. She struggled from the 3 a little bit, and that’s something she’s really been...that’s been a bright spot in practices.”
Despite a game that didn’t meet the standards of “an Aari-like game,” it didn’t detract from what McDonald accomplished last year or is expected to accomplish this year.