More photos added at 9:05 p.m. Saturday, April 1:
The Kansas women’s basketball team held on for victory against Columbia Saturday, becoming champions of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
The team easily rolled through their Fab 4 matchup on Wednesday with a 61-36 victory over Washington to head to the championship game. They beat Columbia 66-59 on Saturday.
Following a back-and-forth first half with several lead changes, the Jayhawks went on an 18-3 run in the third quarter. Though Columbia managed to cut the deficit to 6 points, they could not come back.
Jayhawk fans showed up to Allen Fieldhouse in force to support the team.
Senior center Taiyanna Jackson gave teammates and fans a scare when she rolled her ankle in the third quarter, but she came back from the locker room to help the team on their way to victory. She collected her fifth double-double of the WNIT and 23rd of the season, with 17 points and 21 rebounds.
Zakiyah Franklin led all scorers with 19 points, and she went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line.
The Jayhawks close their season 25-11 after going 7-1 in the month of March. Saturday marked the team’s first WNIT championship victory.
Columbia entered the WNIT final with a 28-5 record.
Photos by Carter Gaskins
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