Peyton Kennedy scored 31 points to lead SLU to a win in the WNIT Super 16 on Friday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

NCAA Women’s Basketball	1	2	3	4	Final
SLU (19-18)	18	23	22	19	82
Purdue-Fort Wayne (23-13)	22	19	15	22	78

Nora Nichols
Staff Writer

FORT WAYNE, IN — The Saint Louis University women’s basketball team is headed to the Great 8.

That’s what they call the WNIT quarterfinals and Saint Louis earned its place there by knocking off Purdue-Fort Wayne, 82-78, Friday night at the Gates Sports Center.

SLU senior Peyton Kennedy scored a game-high 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Billikens, who trailed for much of the first half, but managed to tie the score at 41 by halftime.

Then in the second half, Saint Louis began the third quarter with a 14-3 run that gave the Billikens a lead they would hold for the rest of the game. In fact, SLU led by as many as 13 points early in the fourth quarter before Purdue-Fort Wayne mounted a comeback that would pull the Mastadons within two points with 55 seconds to go.

But just as it has in many of its games this season, Saint Louis made a series of key plays in the final seconds to clinch the win.

First, after having her shot blocked with 40 seconds to go, Julia Martinez grabbed the offensive rebound, then found Kennedy wide open under the basket for a layup that put the Billikens back ahead by four points.

That forced Purdue-Fort Wayne to take some chances in the final seconds, in hopes that it could make a play that might give them a chance to tie the game. But instead, Martinez made a steal that kept the Mastadons from getting that chance.

SLU was able to run out the clock and walk off the floor with a win that will send them to the Great 8.

In that round, Saint Louis will play Wisconsin in Madison, on Monday, April 1. The winner of that contest will advance to the WNIT semifinals, also called the Fab 4.

The WNIT Fab 4 will be played on April 2 or 3, with the championship game scheduled to be played on April 6.

Saint Louis got strong contributions from other players as well, including Kyla McMakin, who scored 17 points, Tierra Simon, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Martinez, who had four points, six rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.

Saint Louis University 82

##	Player	GS	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	ORB-DRB	REB	PF	A	TO	BLK	STL	PTS
32	Kennedy, Peyton	*	39	11-19	4-7	5-5	5-4	9	2	2	4	0	2	31
00	McMakin, Kyla	*	32	6-17	2-7	3-3	1-2	3	1	1	3	1	2	17
12	Simon, Tierra	*	32	6-10	0-0	0-1	5-6	11	2	3	1	2	1	12
45	Gray, Brooklyn	*	25	4-10	0-2	1-2	1-4	5	1	0	0	0	2	9
04	Calhoun, Kennedy	*	32	3-6	0-0	1-2	0-0	0	4	0	1	0	6	7
11	Martinez, Julia		30	2-7	0-0	0-2	2-4	6	3	8	2	1	3	4
02	Clegg, Camreé		6	1-3	0-2	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	2	0	0	2
25	Shavers, Marcavia		3	0-1	0-0	0-0	2-0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0
35	Johns, Bri		1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TM	TEAM		0	0-0	0-0	0-0	3-1	4	0	0	3	0	0	0
	Totals	–	200	33-73	6-18	10-15	19-21	40	14	15	16	4	16	82

Purdue-Fort Wayne 78

##	Player	GS	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	ORB-DRB	REB	PF	A	TO	BLK	STL	PTS
13	Bromenschenkel,Amellia	*	39	8-17	4-7	7-8	5-9	14	3	1	4	2	2	27
05	Emmerson,Audra	*	33	5-10	3-6	2-2	0-2	2	1	1	4	0	0	15
21	Linbo,Jazzlyn	*	29	4-5	0-0	2-2	1-3	4	2	2	1	3	0	10
01	Sellers,Shayla	*	33	3-8	2-6	0-0	0-2	2	3	3	0	3	1	8
12	Marshall,Destinee	*	22	3-9	0-3	0-0	0-0	0	3	4	4	0	2	6
14	Woodson,Erin		15	3-4	2-2	0-0	0-1	1	0	1	2	0	0	8
30	Schwieterman,Renna		20	0-4	0-2	2-2	1-5	6	2	2	1	0	1	2
32	Graber,Sydney		9	1-1	0-0	0-0	2-0	2	1	2	2	0	0	2
TM	TEAM		0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
	Totals	–	200	27-58	11-26	13-14	9-22	31	15	16	19	8	6	78

2023-24 SLU Billikens Women’s Basketball Schedule

Date	Time	At	Opponent	Location
April 1, 2024 (Monday)	7 pm	Road	Wisconsin	Madison, Wis.