Analysis: How BYU’s chance for a postseason title was halted in WBIT championship loss to Columbia

BYU players huddle during the WBIT championship game against Columbia on April 1, 2026 in Wichita, Kansas. | Jaren Wilkey/BYU PHOTO WICHITA, Kansas — BYU has made a habit of riding a wave of team-centric play behind young stars like Delaney Gibb and Olivia Hamlin to plenty of victories this season, 26 to be exact. It has put the Cougar women’s basketball program back on a positive trajectory, one led by first-year coach Lee Cummard.

Four straight wins in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament going into Wednesday also had BYU on the cusp of earning the program’s first national postseason tournament title. The Ivy League’s Columbia had other plans, though, dominating the Cougars for three quarters before beating BYU 81-64 in the WBIT championship game at Charles Koch Arena. It wasn’t just Wednesday that Columbia (25-8) showed it’s a real pain for opponents.

The Lions won their five WBIT games by an average of 23. 4 points, with only one decided by single digits. That included three wins over power conference schools.

BYU, with its group led primarily by underclassmen, couldn’t compete for a full 40 minutes against Columbia. The Lions had been to the NCAA Tournament the previous two seasons, and they showed their poise and composure in winning the WBIT trophy in the postseason tournament’s third year of existence. “Tremendous effort by Columbia today.