WOMENS BASKETBALL

Saint Louis 69, Minnesota 50 Billikens win WNIT

ASSOCIATED PRESS

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Kyla McMakin scored 20 points and Peyton Kennedy added 19 Saturday to help Saint Louis beat Minnesota 69-50 and win the first WNIT championship in program history.

The Billikens won six games in a row and 11 of their last 12 to close the season. Their 22 wins are the third most in a single season. Saint Louis won 26 games in 2017-18 and 25 in ’18-19.

Kennedy Calhoun scored 11 points for Saint Louis and Julia Martinez finished with 10 rebounds, six assists and a season-high-tying five steals to go with three points on 1-of-4 shooting.

Sophie Hart scored 13 points for Minnesota (20-16) and Janay Sanders added 12. Mallory Heyer had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Mara Braun, Minnesota’s leading scorer (17.0 per game), did not play. Braun aggravated an injury to her right foot — which was sustained Jan. 28 at Illinois, required surgery and kept her out for 11 games — against North Dakota State in the Sweet 16.

McMakin made back-to-back baskets, Kennedy followed with a 3-pointer and a layup to spark a 14-4 run to close the first quarter and took a 16-9 lead when Camree Clegg capped the spurt with a 3-pointer.

Saint Louis athletics press release

April 6, 2024