Topline
Kansas State center and WNBA prospect Ayoka Lee scored 61 points in a win over the Oklahoma Sooners Sunday, breaking the all-time single-game record for points scored in a Division 1 women’s game in NCAA history.
Kansas State center Ayoka Lee during an NCAA basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 in … [+]
Key Facts
Lee scored 61 points on 23-30 shooting in 35 minutes of action, hitting 15 of her 17 free throw attempts and reaching the milestone without attempting a single 3-pointer.
The record was previously shared by Cindy Brown, a Long Beach State player who scored 60 against San Jose State in 1987, and Rachel Banham, a University of Minnesota player who reached the same figure against Northwestern in 2016, according to SportsNaut.
The 6-foot-6-inch Lee stands as the third-leading D1 scorer in the NCAA this season, averaging 23.6 points and 10.8 rebounds on 58% shooting.
If she chooses to leave school a year early, Lee is projected to be selected early in the first round of April’s 2022 WNBA draft, in which the Washington Mystics own the no. 1 pick.
Crucial Quote
“It’s crazy,” Lee said of the record-breaking performance to the local broadcast crew after the game. “I’m just so thankful for the people around me, for my teammates trusting me, my coaches trusting me. I thought it was just going to be another Sunday.”
Key Background
The WNBA’s eligibility rules differ from that of the NBA in that players must turn 22 at some point in the calendar year of the draft in order to enter. Lee was born in 2000, making her eligible despite being a junior.
Tangent
On Friday, in response to a tweet from Delta Airlines that asked followers to “Name a city that changed your life,” the Women’s National Basketball Players Association tweeted the 12 cities that have WNBA teams before adding, “just confirming you fly to Nashville, Toronto, and the Bay Area too, right?”, hinting at a potential expansion of the league. The WNBA celebrated its 25th anniversary last season.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/masonbissada/2022/01/23/ksus-lee-drops-61-shatters-ncaa-scoring-record/