Ayoka Lee Set to Return For Senior Season at Kansas State
Ayoka Lee announced that she would return for her senior year at Kansas State, putting to rest any rumors that she might leave Manhattan early for the WNBA.
Lee held a video interview with reporters on Tuesday, which included the Wichita Eagle’s Kellis Robinett. During the interview, she was asked if she was considering leaving after this season for the WNBA.
“Yeah I’m staying another year,” Lee said. “I really love, just, what I’m doing for school and I want to finish that education. I love the program.”
The Kansas State junior is getting massive attention after Lee scored 61 points in Sunday’s win over Oklahoma, which set a Division I single-game scoring mark and broke the Big 12 single-game scoring mark by 11 points. The Big 12 mark was formerly held by Brittany Griner.
Since that record-setting performance, Lee has been named the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the ESPN Women’s Basketball Player of the Week and has sent her jersey and ball from the game to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Lee also set a Big 12 record of 23 field goals (she went 23-of-30 for the game) and is now the only player in Division I to shoot better than 75 percent from the field on 26-or-more attempts since 2009-10.
The Wildcats also reaped the benefits of that performance. The Wildcats’ victory over Oklahoma also put them back in the AP Women’s Top 25 for the second time in three weeks. In addition, the Wildcats moved up a seed in the most recent ESPN Bracketology, as K-State is now a No. 5 seed.
After Sunday’s performance Lee is now averaging 25.5 and 10.9 rebounds per game. He has a Big 12-high 66 blocked shots and also has a team-high 27 steals.
Lee and the Wildcats will be in action on Wednesday night when they travel to Texas.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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