January 23, 2022
Ayoka Lee breaks Division I single-game scoring record
The Kansas State center and WNBA prospect scored an uber-efficient 61 points on Sunday
This afternoon, Kansas State center Ayoka Lee set a new single-game scoring record in Division I women’s basketball with 61 points in a 94-65 win over Oklahoma. (Yes, she fell just five points short of outscoring the entire Oklahoma team.)
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Lee made 23 of her 30 shot attempts, all from inside the arc, and 15 of her 17 free throw attempts, while also adding 12 rebounds, three blocks and a steal. According to Kansas State’s Twitter account, Lee had 10 points in the first 4:16 of the game, 32 at halftime and 49 at the end of the third quarter. Per Across the Timeline, the previous single-game record was 60, set by Long Beach State’s Cindy Brown in 1987 and tied by Minnesota’s Rachel Banham in 2016.
“It’s crazy,” Lee said of the record while being mobbed by her teammates in a postgame interview on ESPNU. “I think I’m just so thankful for the people around me, for my teammates trusting me, for my coaches trusting me. I thought it was just going to be another Sunday.”
Kansas State improved to 15-4 this season behind Lee, a 6’6 center from Byron, Minnesota. Lee is now averaging 25.5 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, ranking in the top three nationally in points and blocks. She also leads the nation with 10.5 field goals made per game and a player efficiency rating of 50.5.
Lee was also six points away from breaking the all-divisions scoring record of 67 points, set by Jackie Givens of Division II Fort Valley State in 1991. Lee becomes just the eighth woman in NCAA history to score at least 61 points.
Social media took notice of Lee’s heroics, and congratulations poured in. “Wowser!! Ayoka did that! Congrats young lady!!!!” wrote South Carolina and former Team USA head coach Dawn Staley. Phoenix Mercury forward Brianna Turner joked, “I would for sure make up an excuse to not be in that [Oklahoma] film session tomorrow [sweat smile emoji].”
Lee and Kansas State will go back to work on Wednesday night at Texas, which allows almost six fewer points per game (55.2) than she scored on Sunday.
Written by Jenn Hatfield
Jenn Hatfield has been a contributor to The Next since December 2018 and is currently the site's managing editor, Washington Mystics beat reporter and Ivy League beat reporter. Her work has also appeared at FiveThirtyEight, Her Hoop Stats, FanSided, Power Plays and Princeton Alumni Weekly.
