Postseason WNIT | 4/6/2019 5:07:12 PM

ARIZONA 56, NORTHWESTERN 42

TUCSON, AZ -- In front of a Pac-12 record sellout crowd of 14,644 at McKale Center, host Arizona clamped down defensively to build a big lead and storm past Northwestern to win the 2019 Postseason WNIT championship.

Arizona (24-13) got 19 points, seven rebounds and six steals from tournament MVP Aari McDonald. It was the fourth-largest single-game attendance total since the WNIT began in its current form in 1998; this was also Arizona's second postseason title, as it beat Northwestern as well in 1996 in the NWIT. Current AZ head coach Adia Barnes was a sophomore on that 1996 squad.

Lindsey Pulliam hit a 3-pointer for Northwestern (21-15) near the end of the first quarter, drawing the visitors to within 16-12. But NU could only mange five points in the second quarter and trailed by 13 points at halftime. Arizona built its lead to 19 points, 46-27, on a jumper from Tee Tee Starks in the third quarter and held a 16-point lead heading into the final frame.

Arizona (which won just six games last season) had two separate 7-0 runs in the first quarter, but Lindsey Pulliam kept NU in range, hitting a 3-pointer to draw her team within 16-12 after 10 minutes of action.

For the winning squad, Cate Reese added 13 points and nine rebounds; Starks closed with 12 points. Arizona had a 45-32 lead in rebounding and controlled the game throughout despite 19 turnovers and shooting 4-of-19 (21 percent) from the 3-point line.

Northwestern was led by Veronica Burton's 16 points. Pulliam closed with 14 points and 10 rebounds; Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, the only senior on the roster, had 11 rebounds and finished with a tournament-record 78 rebounds overall. That broke the record of 68 by Baylor's Sophia Young. 

The visitors shot 27 percent from the field and had 18 turnovers.

The rest of the WNIT all-tournament team consists of Reese, Burton, Pulliam, Jackie Benitez of James Madison and Amy Okonkwo of TCU.