Minnesota Defeats Belmont 75-63 to Win WBIT Championship

Mallory Heyer had 18 points and 16 rebounds, freshman Tori McKinney scored a season-high 26 points, and Minnesota defeated Belmont 75-63 on Wednesday night to win the WBIT championship at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

After losing to Saint Louis in the WNIT final the previous season, Minnesota (25-11) made it to a national postseason tournament championship game for the second consecutive year.

In its 57-year history, Belmont (26-13) played in a national postseason championship for the first time.

Minnesota kicked off the game with an impressive 11-2 run, limiting Belmont to just 1-of-9 shooting in the first eight minutes. By the end of the quarter, the Bruins struggled, making only 3 of 13 shots and committing six turnovers.

Minnesota led 50-26 after McKinney made 10 of her first 11 shots and scored 26 points with 5:44 left in the third. That was when Belmont was 10 of 35.

Early in the fourth quarter, Grace Grocholski’s 3-pointer put Minnesota ahead 63-41. Belmont came together though, and with 3:17 left, Kendal Cheesman made a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 67-58 for the first time since it was 16-8 in the first session.

With 1:56 remaining and the shot clock winding down, Heyer made a contested layup to give Minnesota a 13-point cushion.

Battle’s final stats for Minnesota were 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Sanaa Tripp scored 13 points, while Jailyn Banks led Belmont with 17. Tuti Jones and Cheesman each scored 11 points.