Arizona’s historic season comes to an end, falling short to Stanford in National Championship At its core, basketball is a game of runs and mistakes. For the entirety of the first half of the National Collegiate Basketball Association (NCAA) Women’s Championship, the Stanford Cardinal and Arizona Wildcats proved just that. Stanford was off to a hot start, beginning the game on a 14-3 run behind big shots from junior guard Lexi Hull and key offensive boards, put backs and finishes from reserve forward Ashten Pretchel. The Cardinal was well-prepared to stop Aari McDonald, the fiery point guard who has averaged 30 points per game over the course of the Sweet Sixteen. As McDonald drove to her strong side, the Stanford defense collapsed when McDonald entered what they coined “Aari’s house,” the left half of the paint. 6’4” freshman Cameron Brink met her there with force, as well as lengthy help defenders, forcing McDonald to either take a tough shot, or pitch out to her perimeter teammates.