EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — The Saint Louis Billikens womens basketball team claimed the Women's National Invitation Tournament championship Saturday afternoon at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's First Community Arena.
The Billikens were led by guard Kyla McMakin, who scored 20 points, and tournament MVP Peyton Kennedy. The senior forward contributed 19 points to SLU's 69-50 victory over Minnesota.
The Billikens held the Golden Gophers at bay from the outset. Minnesota shot 33.9% overall and 17.4% from three-point range, and forced 20 turnovers, more than half of which were Saint Louis steals.
After one quarter, SLU was up 16-9 and by halftime kept a 33-21 lead after guard Julia Martinez sunk a 3-point shot at the buzzer. Martinez finished with a team-high 10 rebounds and game highs of six assists and five steals.
The Bills outscored the Golden Gophers 21-11 in the third quarter to take a 22-point lead.
Junior guard Kennedy Calhoun scored 11 points for the Billikens, who were 11-of-24 from three-point distance. Six players made at least one three-pointer for Saint Louis, led by Kennedy's three.
McMakin and Kennedy were both named to the All-Tournament team.
The Billikens won their first five WNIT games by 21 points and 11 of their final 12 games to end the season.