The Kansas State women’s basketball team kept right on winning Sunday, but the future suddenly is not a bright for the No. 10-ranked Wildcats.
Career scoring and rebounding leader Ayoka Lee left the game with an injury midway through the second quarter of the Wildcats’ 81-69 victory over Arizona State, and coach Jeff Mittie’s initial report was not promising.
“It’s not good,” Mittie said of Lee, who did not return to the bench for the second half as the Wildcats held off a determined Arizona State team to improve to 19-1 overall and 7-0 in the Big 12. “I don’t have a definitive update, but it’s not going to be a week or two.
“I talked to her 10 minutes ago, and I have not talked to the doctors, have not talked to the trainers, but it’s probably not good.”
Lee played 13 minutes against Arizona State and finished with 7 points on 3 of 4 shooting but checked out for good with 4:21 left in the first half. She leads the Wildcats 16 points and 6.3 rebounds per game but has averaged just 19 minutes this season compared to 28 for her career.
It won’t be the first time K-State has had to adjust to life without Lee. She redshirted as a freshman while recovering from a knee injury and missed the entire 2022-23 season after surgery on her other knee, then sat out several key conference games a year ago after hurting her ankle.
The Wildcats appear to be better equipped to handle Lee’s absence this year with more depth at the post position. Missouri State graduate transfer Kennedy Taylor has had several big games, former Louisville transfer Imani Lester is healthy, and junior Eliza Maupin had one of her best games against Arizona State with six points, five rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes.
Temira Poindexter led four K-State players in double figures with 19 points and added 5 rebounds with 4 assists, while Serena Sundell had 15 points, a team-high 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Taryn Sides finished with 11 points and 6 assists off the bench, and Jaelyn Glenn 10 points.
“I think it’s just the next man up mentality, and I think Eliza came in and played really well for us,” Sides said of finishing the game without Lee. “We don’t really know a whole lot about Yokie. Hopefully she’s OK.”
Lee, who broke K-State’s career rebounding record last year, and passed Kendra Wecker for the all-time scoring lead earlier this season, moved into sixth place all time in the Big 12 with her 7 points against Arizona State and now has 2,482 for her career.
The Wildcats now are off until Saturday when they travel to Colorado.
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