Columbia Wins WBIT Title, Beats BYU 81-64 in Wichita

Overview

• Columbia pulled away early and closed out BYU for the postseason tournament trophy with an 81-64 win in Wichita, Kansas.
• BYU’s offense sputtered, shooting 34.2% from the field, 17.4% from three and 53.3% on free throws, with 18 turnovers and 16 missed layups.
• The Cougars trimmed a deficit that reached 27 points with a 24-6 late run and got within nine with 52 seconds left before running out of time.
• The Lions’ march to the final included wins over St. John’s, North Dakota State, California and Wisconsin with an average margin of 25 points, driven by Ivy League Player of the Year Riley Weiss.
• BYU finishes 26-12 in Lee Cummard’s first season with a young core that produced more than 70% of the scoring, as rising guards Delaney Gibb, Olivia Hamlin and Sydney Benally headline a group aiming to convert this experience, and recent WBIT champions have often parlayed the event into an NCAA bid the next year.