INDIANAPOLIS -- Freshman Tori McKinney scored a season-high 26 points, Mallory Heyer had 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Minnesota beat Belmont 75-63 on Wednesday night to secure the WBIT championship at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Minnesota (25-11) appeared in a national postseason tournament championship game for the second straight season after losing to Saint Louis in the WNIT finale last year.
Belmont (26-13) was playing for a national postseason championship for the first time in the program's 57-year history.
Minnesota started the game on an 11-2 run after holding Belmont to 1-of-9 shooting through the opening eight minutes. The Bruins finished the quarter making just 3 of 13 shots with six turnovers.
McKinney made 10 of her first 11 shots and reached 26 points with 5:44 remaining in the third to give Minnesota a 50-26 lead. Belmont was 10 of 35 at that point.
Minnesota went ahead 63-41 early in the fourth on a 3-pointer by Grace Grocholski. But Belmont came back and Kendal Cheesman sank a 3-pointer with 3:17 remaining to get within single digits, 67-58, for the first time since it was 16-8 in the opening frame.
Heyer gave Minnesota a 13-point cushion with 1:56 left on a contested layup with the shot clock winding down.
Battle finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists for Minnesota.
Jailyn Banks led Belmont with 17 points and Sanaa Tripp added 13. Cheesman and Tuti Jones each scored 11.