🏀 Kansas to Host WNIT Championship Game Saturday vs. Columbia
LAWRENCE, Kan. – For the second time in program history, Kansas will host the WNIT Championship Game when the Jayhawks face Columbia on Saturday, April 1, at Allen Fieldhouse.
Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be nationally-televised on CBS Sports Network, with Brett Dolan and Megan Perry on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on the Jayhawk Radio Network, with Steven Davis and David Lawrence calling the action.
Kansas reached the WNIT title game with a 61-36 victory over Washington on March 29 in Lawrence. The Jayhawks have also defeated Western Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska and Arkansas on the road to the championship game. KU is outscoring its opponents by an average of 18.0 points per game in the tournament.
The Jayhawks are now 24-11 on the year after going 7-1 in the month of March. Dating back to Feb. 26, Kansas has won eight of its last nine games, and the 24 wins are the sixth-most in a season in program history. KU has also set a new school record with 18 home wins this season.
KU senior Taiyanna Jackson recorded her 22nd double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Fab 4 win against Washington. She also added three blocked shots add to her school-record total, which is now at 106 for the season. Jackson is set to become the first KU player since 1982 to average a double-double as she averages 15.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game this season. On March 30, Jackson, was named WBCA All-America Honorable Mention, her latest honor after previously being named unanimous All-Big 12 First Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team, Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist and a top-10 candidate for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award.
All-Big 12 First Team selection Zakiyah Franklin scored a team-high 14 points against Washington, one game after she became the 14th player in Kansas program history to surpass the 1,500-point career milestone. Franklin, KU’s leading scorer at 15.6 points per game, is No. 14 on KU’s career scoring list with 1,517 points.
KU senior guard Holly Kersgieter, a three-time All-Big 12 selection, has reached double figures in scoring in seven straight games after totaling 11 points against Washington. Kersgieter is up to No. 11 on KU’s all-time scoring list with 1,552 career points and she’s third with 207 career three-pointers. Kersgieter is third on the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game this season, and she leads the team with 65 steals and 63 made three-pointers this season.
Kansas is competing in the WNIT for the sixth time, first since 2011, and the Jayhawks are in the postseason for the second-consecutive season. KU is 14-5 all-time in the WNIT and has now reached the finals for the second time, first since 2009 when the Jayhawks set a school and Big 12 Conference record for attendance with 16,113 fans at Allen Fieldhouse.
Saturday’s championship game will be the first all-time meeting between Kansas and Columbia in women’s basketball. The teams share one common opponent during the 2022-23 season in Iowa State. KU split its season series against the Cyclones, who defeated Columbia 99-76 on Nov. 20 in Ames, Iowa.
Columbia enters the WNIT final with a 28-5 record after defeating Fairleigh Dickinson, Fordham, Syracuse, Harvard and Bowling Green to reach the championship game. The Lions are 14-2 in true road games this season and averaging 78.8 points per game, while outscoring opponents by 15.6 points per game on average.
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Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now and can be purchased by visiting KUAthletics.com or calling 800-34-HAWKS.
