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As her basketball star grows, Ayoka Lee embraces the moment

Ayoka Lee is cementing herself as one of the top players in the nation this season. (Photo courtesy of Kansas State Athletics)

If you didn’t know the name Ayoka Lee by this point in the women’s college basketball season, you do now. The Kansas State junior center lit up the scoreboard, and then Twitter feeds and TV highlight reels on Sunday, setting the NCAA’s single-game scoring record with 61 points in the Wildcats’ 94-65 win over then-No. 14 Oklahoma.

The performance may have given Lee national recognition overnight, but she has been befuddling opponents and attracting WNBA attention all season long.

In the Wildcats’ season opener in early November, Lee scored 43 points against Central Arkansas, at the time setting a new Kansas State scoring record and a career high. Two weeks ago, she nearly led the Wildcats to an upset of then-No. 7 Iowa State, recording 38 points and 11 rebounds in Kansas State’s eventual 73-70 loss.

As Lee continues to put up big numbers this season, especially against ranked opponents, speculation about her WNBA Draft status increases. While she is eligible for the 2022 draft, she said Tuesday she plans to stay at K-State for another year. Lee, 21, doesn’t like to think about the future. She knows all too well how quickly things can change.

In spring 2018, Lee had committed to play basketball for K-State and was ready to take her game to the next level. But during a game at the State Tournament in Minnesota, Lee jumped in the air on a routine basketball play, landed awkwardly and tore her ACL. The Byron High School senior was beside herself.

“It was kind of like, how does this work now?” Lee says. “Like, I’m coming, but I’m not able to do anything. I have all this stuff I have to take care of just with this injury.”

Lee shifted her attention to the recovery process, but it didn’t start off as she hoped. At first, she rehabbed at home in Byron with limited resources. Her physical therapy wasn’t as intense or thorough as it needed to be, so by the time she got to Kansas State, she was lagging behind. Instead of dwelling on it, she got right to work.

By January, Lee was cleared to participate on the practice squad. The 6-foot-6 center spent the rest of her freshman year at K-State doing individual workouts and getting in extra time with the strength coach, trainers and basketball coaches.

“She’s been like that since day one, even when she was non-contact when she first got here,” says K-State head coach Jeff Mittie. “We could just see how talented she was and how hard she worked. She’s the same person every day. What you see is what you get with her.”

In the fall of 2019, she finally stepped onto the court as a Wildcat, and the work she had put in quickly paid off. As a redshirt freshman, Lee averaged 15.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and three blocks in 32 minutes per game and was named 2019-20 Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

“I probably wasn’t on too many scouting reports that season,” Lee says. “It was just one of those things where I feel like a lot of college freshmen might come in wanting to do [well]. I honestly didn’t have a ton of expectations. … It was just really exciting to come in right away and be able to have that impact.”

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Lee has scored in double figures in every game this season. (Photo courtesy of Kansas State Athletics)

Peyton Williams, a senior forward at Kansas State that season, saw Lee develop in front of her eyes. A double-threat tandem on the court, together they led the team in scoring and rebounds.

“I know that Yokie is a great person and a hard worker, even as a freshman,” says Williams, who now plays overseas for Hainaut in France. “Even when she’s not on the court now, she’s getting things done, doing what she needs to be doing. You never have to worry about her doing the little things and doing the important things. I think she’s got her head on straight, and she’s been a leader from a young age.”

After Sunday’s historic performance, Lee is second in the nation in scoring, just behind Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark with 25.5 points per game, third in blocks (3.5) and 20th in rebounds (10.9), all while shooting 58.6 percent from the field. Against Oklahoma, Lee showed just how scary good and efficient she can be, going 23-for-30 (76.7 percent) from the field and 15-for-17 (88.2 percent) from the free-throw line.

ESPN women’s college basketball analyst Brenda VanLengen has watched Lee’s game evolve over the past two seasons.

“Her size is tough to contend with,” says VanLengen. “She’s a true center. She’s got good footwork, she runs pretty well, good work ethic — preparing for games and also on the court. She works hard for position. That’s what sets interior players apart. She works to get rebound position, to get post-up position, to pin her defender as the ball is reversed. Those things are not easy every night when you get all the attention from defenders.”

The ability to hit a smooth 15-foot jumper is just another weapon Lee has added to her arsenal this season.

“A year ago, people really tried to front her a lot. They were really trying to deny her catches, and a lot of her scoring was just on angle plays, lob plays,” Mittie says. “The evolution of her game has been the ability to score over people and to do it eight, 10 feet away from the basket.”

Kansas State’s improvement from a 9-18 team in 2020-21 to a 15-4 squad that’s third in Big 12 play this year is also due to the players Mittie has recruited. Freshman guards Serena Sundell, Jaelyn Glenn and Brylee Glenn have stepped up to provide perimeter help so that, when Lee is double- or triple-teamed, she can kick the ball out with confidence, knowing any one of them can hit the shot.

“Because of Lee’s presence inside, you have to pay extra attention to her,” VanLengen says. “That means players on the perimeter are gonna have opportunities. If they’re shooting well — which, right now, they’re shooting really well from 3-point range — then you can’t double- and triple-team Lee. To me, that’s one of the most dangerous combinations in a team.”

Lee’s familiarity with K-State’s Big 12 opponents has translated into confidence for herself and her team. She senses a different vibe this season, a kind of synergy on the court that was cultivated back in June, when Mittie would be working late and catch players practicing or working out at the gym.

“I’m just so proud of them, honestly. Just like being able to come in and put the work in, and just have a drive where they want to come in and have that impact is great,” Lee says. “I think we have big goals. I think if we keep coming every day, keep working hard, take it one game at a time, I think we can go far.”

Still, as well as Lee and the Wildcats have been playing, questions linger about her overall physical health and long-term durability. The bulky, gray brace she wears on her leg is a constant reminder of her injury.

“I think ACLs can be tricky,” she says. “I think a lot of people have lingering repercussions from it. It’s just kind of one of those things.”

Lee has been proactively working to extend the longevity of her career, but she’s not thinking about what might or might not happen down the road. Her approach to everything in life, on or off the court, is to be where her feet are, to keep learning, growing and enjoying each step along the way.

“She’s in the moment, that’s one of her strengths,” Mittie says. “She just wants to enjoy practice with her teammates.”

When Williams came home from France during the holidays, she was hoping to go to a K-State home game. It ended up getting canceled due to COVID-19 protocols, but she was able to visit with her former teammates.

“I got to see [Yokie], and she was mature when I knew her, but she’s been taking steps. I think that’s also a testament to her, the person and player, is that she understands that there’s always room to improve,” Williams says. “I mean, that’s one of the greatest lessons in life, first of all — you’re never done growing. But also, as a player to understand that, I think that’s really important and that contributes to her being in the moment.”

Lee has three years of NCAA eligibility left at K-State, because of the year she sat out and the extra year players gained from the COVID-19 pandemic. She has already graduated with a degree in psychology and is pursuing her masters in couples and family therapy. While she’s open to the WNBA and thinks it would be a great opportunity, she wants to to be a sports psychologist someday. Tearing her ACL helped her gain a better understanding of athletes’ mental health.

“It’s been a blessing,” Lee says. “It’s reminded me not to take anything for granted. To be where my feet are and enjoy every part of the process.”

Now that Lee has definitively etched her name into the NCAA record books, people will continue to speculate about her basketball future. But her goal is to finish the season strong and lead the Wildcats on a run in the NCAA Tournament. She’s focused on the moment, and that’s as far as she’s willing to look ahead.

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering the WNBA. She also contributes to The Athletic and is the co-author of “Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.” Follow Lyndsey on Twitter @darcangel21.

2025 NCAA Softball Kicks Off as Oklahoma Hunts 5th-Straight World Series Win

Oklahoma and Texas line up on the softball field before the second game of the 2024 Women's College World Series.
Oklahoma will pursue their fifth-straight NCAA softball title this season. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

College softball is back, with a new-look Oklahoma team kicking off the 2025 NCAA season in pursuit of a fifth-straight Women's College World Series win.

Despite Oklahoma's ongoing dominance, 2025's lineup does promise significantly higher parity than seasons past.

Having graduated a number of last year's stars — including a senior class that snagged four straight national titles — the Sooners enter the season ranked third.

Instead, 2024 runner-up Texas takes the top spot, followed by perennial contenders Florida at No. 2. Both teams enter 2025 with the majority of their rosters from last season intact, earning them an edge over the revamped Sooners.

Texas star catcher Reese Atwood blasts a double during a 2024 NCAA Softball Regional game against Northwestern.
Star slugger Reese Atwood is back to lead the Texas softball offense. (David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Texas on top as SEC looms

Still hunting a first national championship, Texas returns with six starters and four of their five 2024 pitchers — including then-freshman phenom Teagan Kavan, who led the team with 20 wins last year.

Meanwhile, last season's Big 12 Player of the Year, junior catcher Reese Atwood, is back to lead the Longhorn offense.

After joining rival Oklahoma in flipping to the SEC this year, Texas is gearing up to meet their new conference foes with the No. 1 target on their backs.

"It's a great honor, to tell you the truth," Texas head coach Mike White said about the preseason ranking. "And now we got to back it up. We’ve had a team that's been called young in the years past, and now we're a little more mature."

"We have a tough slate of games ahead of us, and then, of course, the gauntlet of the SEC is ahead of us," White noted. "We’ve really just got to go play good softball now."

The impact of conference realignment will extend beyond the SEC this season. The sport's historic dynasty No. 6 UCLA is now competing in the Big Ten while No. 4 Oklahoma State is taking over the top spot in the Big 12 rankings.

Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady winds up from the circle during a 2024 NCAA Softball Super Regionals game against LSU.
A $1 million NIL deal convinced 2024 National Player of the Year NiJaree Canady to transfer to Texas Tech. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

2025 NCAA softball season takes the field

As multiple teams travel to warm-weather destinations to start the season, the first week of competition showcases a slate of top-ranked matchups.

With a top-tier win already in the books, No. 4 Oklahoma State opened their 2025 campaign with a bang at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on Thursday. Buoyed by a trio of home runs, the Cowgirls handed No. 12 Florida State a 9-6 loss.

Waiting on deck at this week's NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida, are two ranked games featuring superstar pitchers.

First, No. 16 Nebraska ace Jordy Bahl — a two-time NCAA champion with Oklahoma — will likely take the circle against No. 5 Tennessee on Thursday. If she gets the start, it will mark her first game in nearly a year, as the Cornhusker transfer suffered a season-ending ACL injury in last year's opener.

Then on Friday, a revamped No. 10 Texas Tech side will face No. 25 Mississippi State, with former Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady likely leading the charge.

The 2024 National Player of the Year transferred after her sophomore season with the Cardinal, as Texas Tech sealed the deal via a record-shattering $1 million NIL contract.

Oklahoma softball pitcher Jordy Bahl winds up during the 2023 Women's College World Series against Florida State.
Star transfer Jordy Bahl is back with Nebraska softball after missing 2024 play with an ACL tear. (Grace Bradley/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's Top 25 NCAA softball games

Look for Bahl to lead No. 16 Nebraska against No. 5 Tennessee at 7 PM ET on Thursday, before No. 25 Mississippi State will contend with Canady and No. 10 Texas Tech at 5 PM ET on Friday.

Both games will stream live on the GameChanger app.

Unrivaled Basketball Drops 1v1 Tournament Bracket

Napheesa Collier and Stefanie Dolson tip off an Unrivaled basketball game.
The winner of the Unrivaled 1v1 tournament will earn $200,000 in prize money. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball's 1v1 tournament is fast approaching,​ with the offseason league dropping the competition's official bracket on Wednesday.

The head-to-head showdown tips off on Monday, February 10th, with the semifinals and three-game final series all tipping off on Friday, February 14th. 

Fan votes determined the seeding for the debut league's first-ever in-season tournament. Those ballots gave the Mist's Jewell Loyd and Vinyl's Arike Ogunbowale first-round byes, moving them straight into Tuesday's quarterfinal round.

Meanwhile, the other 28 competitors have four rounds to overcome to claim the trophy — not to mention $200,000 in prize money.

Breaking down the Unrivaled 1v1 bracket

Some early battles will be tougher than others, as Unrivaled co-founder and current scoring leader Napheesa Collier takes on fellow UConn alum Katie Lou Samuelson. The winner of that matchup then faces either Jackie Young or Rickea Jackson.

Collier's fellow co-founder Breanna Stewart — also a UConn product — drew 2024 UConn standout Aaliyah Edwards in Monday's first round. The winner subsequently earns a second-round date against either Marina Mabrey or Kate Martin.

Despite her first-round bye, Ogunbowale's bracket quadrant appears to be a gauntlet.

The guard will first battle either fellow Notre Dame alum Skylar Diggins-Smith, who has four game-winners under her belt so far this season, or Vinyl teammate Dearica Hamby.

The Olympic 3×3 bronze medalist trails only Collier and Laces star Kayla McBride on Unrivaled's score sheet, averaging 21.2 points per game. Additionally, Hamby's 10.4 rebounding average has her sitting fourth in the league.

Should they advance, either McBride or Satou Sabally will await Ogunbowale in the quarterfinals.

Ultimately, every matchup is stacked considering the star-studded league's depth.

"I just want the top dawgs to knock each other out," joked Courtney Williams ahead of her own first-round clash with Tiffany Hayes, with the winner set to square off against either Rhyne Howard or Lexie Hull.

"[If] your shot's falling, really anyone can win 1v1," she continued. "It's all about who figured it out in that moment."

An official game ball rests on the Unrivaled basketball court in Miami, Florida.
The three-day 1v1 tournament will tip off on Monday. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

How to watch next week's Unrivaled 1v1 tournament

The inaugural contest's first round tips off at 2 PM ET on Monday, with live coverage on truTV. The evening session begins at 7 PM ET on TNT.

Both the second round and quarterfinals will air on truTV starting at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, with the semifinals and finals taking over both truTV and TNT on Friday beginning at 7:30 PM ET.

No. 1 UCLA Downs No. 8 OSU in Top 10 NCAA Basketball Action

UCLA center Lauren Betts lifts a shot over Ohio State during Wednesday's Big Ten basketball game.
UCLA center Lauren Betts registered 19 points and 14 rebounds in Wednesday's win. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

No. 1 UCLA added another Top 10 NCAA basketball win to their 2024/25 resume on Wednesday, tallying their second of the season after holding off Big Ten foe No. 8 Ohio State 65-52.

Despite Buckeye freshman Jaloni Cambridge's game-leading 21 points, Ohio State fell to a tough UCLA defense. The Bruins clamped down in the second and fourth quarters, relinquishing just 18 points to the Buckeyes across those two periods.

Meanwhile, UCLA junior Lauren Betts continued her National Player of the Year campaign, scoring a team-high 19 points plus 14 rebounds after clinching the double-double before the first-half buzzer.

Star junior guard Gabriela Jaquez narrowly trailed Betts, posting 17 points to help push UCLA over the line.

The victory marks a program-record 22nd consecutive win for the still-undefeated Bruins — their longest winning streak since 1978.

"I told the team after the game that these games are fun when they're close," Jaquez said afterwards. "This might have been one of the first games where it got close."

Top 10 NCAA upset rattles the Big 12

Wednesday didn't pan out as smoothly in the Big 12, where No. 12 Kansas State upset No. 9 TCU 59-50 in the Wildcats' first Top 10 win of the season. The victory broke the pair's tie atop the conference standings, putting Kansas State firmly in control of the Big 12.

While the Wildcat defense stifled TCU top scorers Sedona Prince and Hailey Van Lith, holding them to a respective 14 and 10 points, Kansas State senior Serena Sundell showed out on offense. The guard scored a season-high 27 points — 15 of which came during the Wildcats' third-quarter surge.

"[Sundell] lived at the rim," TCU head coach Mark Campbell told reporters after the game. "She absolutely destroyed us in the post. She just shot layups and layups and layups. That's what makes her unique is she's a 6-foot-2 versatile playmaker.... We didn't have an answer for that one."

UConn guard Azzi Fudd controls the ball against Tennessee during the rivals' 2022 basketball game.
Tennessee hosts historic rival UConn in a Top 20 matchup tonight. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

How to watch Top 20 NCAA basketball on Thursday

The NCAA action continues with historic rivals No. 5 UConn taking on No. 19 Tennessee at 6:30 PM ET tonight. That's when Paige Bueckers and the Huskies will take aim at Jewel Spear and the Vols, with live coverage on ESPN.

USWNT Star Midge Purce Signs One-Year NWSL Contract Extension with Gotham

Gotham winger Midge Purce holds the ball before a set piece during a March 2024 NWSL match.
Purce earned NWSL Championship MVP with Gotham in 2023. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

USWNT attacker Midge Purce re-signed with Gotham FC on a one-year deal Wednesday. The move quieted speculation about the star's future with the club.

The 29-year-old announced her return in classic fashion. She simply adding a two-word quote to Gotham's press release on Wednesday: "I'm back."

Purce played a major role in Gotham's 2023 title-winning run. She earned NWSL Championship MVP honors after assisting on both goals in NJ/NY's trophy-clinching match. However, she was sidelined for much of the subsequent season — her fifth at Gotham — after a late March 2024 ACL tear.

"Midge brings a number of great qualities to our team, and her dynamism and experience are great additions to our talented attacking group," Gotham GM Yael Averbuch West said in a statement. "We are very excited to welcome her back into the mix."

Purce signing helps ease Gotham's 2025 concerns

Securing the striker eases some fears about Gotham's plans for 2025. This offseason saw a number of high-profile exits including USWNT stars Lynn Biyendolo (née Williams), Crystal Dunn, Jenna Nighswonger, among others.

"We fully understand our journey won't always follow a straight path, and we are realistic about the time, fortitude, and effort required to achieve our goals," Averbuch West recently told fans in an open letter.

"I know this offseason has been a time of uncertainty for our fans, and I want you to know we've worked tirelessly to build a team you’ll be excited to stand behind in 2025 and every season after."

Ultimately, Purce's return rounds out a still-solid Gotham squad. Of course, the roster remains punctuated by USWNT mainstays Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, and Tierna Davidson.

The team is currently in Spain for preseason training. They'll play a pair of closed-door scrimmages before returning to New Jersey to kick off the 2025 NWSL season.

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