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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Paisley Harding didn't want it to end, or at least not like this.
The fifth-year senior didn't come back to BYU for one final season of eligibility — a season she wasn't supposed to have when she committed during her sophomore year of high school but one she gladly accepted when the NCAA offered it in response to the COVID-19 pandemic — just to be bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Her final season was supposed to end in glory, in a deep run in the tournament, perhaps tying a BYU record in the Sweet 16 — or maybe even deeper.
Harding did everything she could to make it happen, scoring a team-high 21 points on 6-of-17 shooting, getting to the free-throw line eight times, and adding four rebounds, three assists and a steal against 11th-seeded Villanova.
Sometimes, though, not even a fifth-year senior's incessant willpower is enough. Sometimes the Herculean effort comes from the other side — in this case the Big East Player of the Year, Maddy Siegrist.
Sometimes, the clock strikes midnight before Cinderella makes it to the ball, as it did Saturday afternoon at the Crisler Center when Villanova upended No. 20 BYU, 61-57.
There's danger in putting too much emphasis on the NCAA Tournament, where one game could mean the end of a season and upsets abound. It's part of the excitement of March, the madness of March — and also the sadness of March.
In Harding's career, she's experienced all three emotions, with postseason breakthroughs and eventual disappointments. On Saturday, it was more heartbreak.
And yet ...
She is TOUGH under the basket! 😤 @paisleynikelle x @byuwbb
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 19, 2022
(via @MarchMadnessWBB) pic.twitter.com/1i1mvCEOBQ
"The season has meant the world to me," she said, with barely a swell of emotion and no tears in view. "This has been such a fun season.
"This program is amazing. I couldn't have asked to go to any other college and have an experience like this. I've been brought up as a young freshman into this aspiring and intelligent and great young woman, and able to perform on the basketball court because of this program, because of the university I went to, and because of the coaches helping me, pushing me, and having confidence in me."
Harding was a focal point of Villanova's game plan, and she still scored 21. The Wildcats were "just trying as best we could" to deny her possessions, to force her into screens rather than around and through them — a total team effort — head coach Denise Dillon said.
And yet, she still scored 21. It was almost enough, but no moral victories here for 26-4 BYU.
Even without the happy ending in the NCAA Tournament, Harding's senior season was filled with highs higher than anything the Cougars have ever experienced.
BYU earned its highest national ranking in program history, spent 16 consecutive weeks in the Associated Press Top 25 — nearly doubling the previous program-best of nine set in 2006 — and finished with a program-record 26 wins, including 25 in the regular season en route to the first conference regular-season title since 2016. It all led up to a No. 6 seed in the Big Dance, the highest seed in program history.
Even without the happy ending, the happiness was in the journey.
"This whole season has meant everything to me," Harding said. "These girls are something special. I don't think you can find another team in this nation that is as close, tight-knit, and loving as mine is."
Harding's incredible career ended on the hardwood inside the University of Michigan's home stadium, a somber note on a remarkable journey through Provo. The Everett, Washington, native was one of just two BYU players to score in double figures against Villanova — fellow senior Tegan Graham was the other, with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including three 3-pointers.
Harding finishes her five-year career with the most games played in BYU women's basketball history, tied with teammate Maria Albiero at 146. She scored 1,938 points — the sixth-most in BYU history — buried 217 3-pointers, pulled down 475 rebounds, dished out 374 assists, and took way-too-many charges to count.
But much of her career can't be summed up in numbers or statistics.
"You notice when the game gets more physical, Paisley steps it up. Her strenght and her endurance is amazing," BYU coach Jeff Judkins said of his senior captain. "She's the kid that works really hard and she says what she feels. I think it's been really positive for a lot of the young kids to see that. When you have one of your best players work the hardest, it really sets the tone for what this team is all about."
Harding's career is over, but her legacy lives on in the form of a freshman class that she took under her wing, including a group of standout guards like former East High star Nani Falatea and New Zealand-born Arielle Mackey-Williams who will be tasked with picking up where she left off.
It may be hard for any player to adequately replace Harding. Then again, the former Paisley Johnson might not have been able to replace the current Paisley Harding at first glance, either.
The biggest compliment Judkins could give her was the next one.
"Paisley got better every year," he said. "There is not a lot of palyers you can say that about, but you can say that with her. She improved ine very part of her game.
"I just wish she was 6-foot instead of 5-8; would've made a big difference. But she's one of the best I've coached. She's proven that in both NCAA games and really big games. I thought tonight, she palyed one of her best games for us."
Thus ends an electric senior class at BYU, one that played through a pandemic and then was granted another season of college basketball because of it. From Harding to the sharpshooting Graham to the playmaking Albiero to the 6-foot-7 shot blocker Sara Hamson, the group came together and tried to do something special at BYU.
Their hope was to do something special on the court, leading the Cougars to a Sweet 16 berth, or Elite Eight bid, or — why not dream big, they'd always say — a Final Four appearance.
Maybe the special thing about this team isn't what they did on the court, though.
"Just the culture on this team is unique," the former Pleasant Grove star said. "I've grown up playing all sorts of sports an dbeen on so many teams. This team is just so full of love, and we're willing to push each other in practice and compete. But at the end of the day, we still enjoy being around each other.
"The season ended being shorter than they wanted it to be. But at the end of the day, we made memories we'll keep forever and friendships we're going to live with forever."
As Judkins prepares for the next step for his program — he's bringing back a team that still includes two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year Shaylee Gonzales and walking double-double Lauren Gustin, after all — he'll also take a moment to reflect on this season.
Even without the ending the Cougars always wanted, it was still one for the history books.
"I'll look back and remember the good things we had this year. They were a fun team to coach," he said. "As a coach, you don't always get that. Sometimes your teams are hard to motivate, hard to get them to do the things you want them to.
"This team was the opposite. They were easy to motivate, they worked hard, they did whatever it took for this team to be successful. It's going to be hard. I'm going to go back and say we need to practice — and there won't be any practice. But that's the hard part; the tournament, one team comes out smiling; everybody else loses, and it's tough. But that's what makes winning and what makes success so important. When you lose, it doesn't feel good and it hurts — so you drive yourself to do your best."
