By Jared Feldman
Ayoka Lee is back on the court and better than ever. The Kansas State star forwarded commanded on the court to lead the Wildcats in overtime past West Virginia.
Kansas State led by four points with just 10 seconds remaining in regulation when JJ Quinerly hit a three to cut the lead to one. Lee split her free throws, and Jordan Harrison tied the game with a layup at the end of regulation. After Kansas State struggled from the free throw line late in the fourth, the game would go into overtime.
Lee scored 10 points in overtime, and after struggling at the free throw line in regulation, the Wildcats went 9 of 11 in the extra period. The game was deadlocked with 3 minutes in overtime but Kansas State took over, going on an 11-2 run to win it.
With the victory, Kansas State improved to 23-4 overall and 12-3 in the Big 12, remaining one game behind first-place Oklahoma State. West Virginia, which received 23 points from Ja’Naiya Quinerly, dropped to 23-4 and 11-4. Ayoka Lee led the way for Kansas State with 34 points (12-17 shooting) and 12 rebounds.
“This was a committed performance on the offensive end, Lee certainly helps, but we’ve had moments we forget she’s out there because we didn’t have the commitment to do it,” Kansas State Coach Jeff Mittie said.
Kansas State’s next game is against rival Kansas on Sunday, while West Virginia faces No. 24 Baylor on Saturday.
