Kansas women’s basketball captures 2023 Postseason WNIT title inside Allen Fieldhouse

LAWRENCE — As a tribute video played postgame Saturday inside Allen Fieldhouse, smiles graced the faces of the Kansas women’s basketball players.

Gathered together, those Jayhawks were celebrating a 66-59 victory against Columbia. They were celebrating their 2023 Postseason WNIT championship, the first ever in program history. And they were celebrating a run that could mean so much for the program as it turns its sights toward next season.

Because even though Kansas came up short of its aim of making the NCAA tournament for a second-straight year, it bounced back from that disappointment. It made the most of an opportunity to keep playing. In front of six-straight home crowds, the Jayhawks delivered six-straight victories in the WNIT as they showcased how deserving they felt they were of being in the NCAA tournament.

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“I think I speak for all of us in our program, all of our team, our coaches, when I say thank you,” junior guard Chandler Prater told the crowd postgame during the celebration. “You guys were the difference. You guys made the difference in this tournament for us. We couldn’t have done it without our fans, and it’s just — it’s so exciting to see you guys grow and come out more and more every single game. It’s been so cool.”

As Prater said, the number of fans inside Allen Fieldhouse grew with each WNIT contest. Kansas wrapped up its season with a crowd of 11,701 on Saturday. That’s the largest crowd that’s attended a Jayhawks home came since 16,113 watched them play in the 2009 WNIT championship game.

That increase in fan support is something head coach Brandon Schneider highlighted postgame, too. On top of the momentum the team garnered for itself, he said he couldn’t be happier for the added interest and support in the program. He added he’s hopeful everyone enjoyed being a part of the run, and will plan on buying season tickets.

The win against Columbia might not have been the offensive clinic that some of these WNIT victories were for Kansas, but the Jayhawks continued to enjoy success defensively. Senior center Taiyanna Jackson recorded a 17-point and 21-rebound double-double. Senior guard Zakiyah Franklin led her team with 19 points.

“Through this whole tournament, it was just amazing watching our crowd grow every game,” Jackson said. “And especially the student section and the students coming out here and cheering for us, it’s just — I really don’t know what to say because I’ve never experienced something like this just being because I came from (junior college). But it was just amazing. I just love them. They get us going. They give us momentum. Just, thank you.”

Jackson, Franklin and senior guard Holly Kersgieter all having another year of eligibility available to them also adds to the momentum the team has ahead of next season. The three have been key starters for Kansas for multiple seasons now. They’re a part of a core that will also add a highly-touted freshman in S’Mya Nichols, and Schneider does expect all three to be back at Kansas next season.

Schneider didn’t want to make any statements for those three. He was just expressing what he feels, based on conversations he’s had with them previously. But Jackson and Franklin did speak postgame, and both spoke glowingly about what they hope the team can achieve and be a part of next season.

“Before the tournament ever started, we used Arizona as an example,” Schneider said as he spoke about what this run could mean for the team moving forward. “Arizona, I believe, won the tournament a few years ago (in 2019) and then the next year (postseason was played in 2021) — and I’m obviously not making any predictions — but the next year they played for the national championship. So, what they did, to use the tournament as a springboard and momentum into the next year, I think’s a pretty good example.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 2023 Postseason WNIT: Kansas women's basketball wins championship