04/02/25 07:07:00
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04/02 19:02 CDT Tori McKinney scores a season-high 26 points, Minnesota beats
Belmont 75-63 to win WBIT championship
Tori McKinney scores a season-high 26 points, Minnesota beats Belmont 75-63 to
win WBIT championship
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) --- Freshman Tori McKinney scored a season-high 26 points,
Mallory Heyer had 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Minnesota beat Belmont 75-63
on Wednesday night to secure the WBIT championship at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Minnesota (25-11) appeared in a national postseason tournament championship
game for the second straight season after losing to Saint Louis in the WNIT
finale last year.
Belmont (26-13) was playing for a national postseason championship for the
first time in the program's 57-year history.
Minnesota started the game on an 11-2 run after holding Belmont to 1-of-9
shooting through the opening eight minutes. The Bruins finished the quarter
making just 3 of 13 shots with six turnovers.
McKinney made 10 of her first 11 shots and reached 26 points with 5:44
remaining in the third to give Minnesota a 50-26 lead. Belmont was 10 of 35 at
that point.
Minnesota went ahead 63-41 early in the fourth on a 3-pointer by Grace
Grocholski. But Belmont came back and Kendal Cheesman sank a 3-pointer with
3:17 remaining to get within single digits, 67-58, for the first time since it
was 16-8 in the opening frame.
Heyer gave Minnesota a 13-point cushion with 1:56 left on a contested layup
with the shot clock winding down.
Battle finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Minnesota.
Jailyn Banks led Belmont with 17 points and Sanaa Tripp added 13. Cheesman and
Tuti Jones each scored 11.
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