The Weekly Roundup: Ayoka Lee Drops 61, NC State’s Improbable Comeback, and the Loss of a Legend
Inside the Kansas State junior’s record-breaking performance, NC State’s phenomenal fourth-quarter, and Lusia Harris’ legacy
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It was a week where the improbable became reality.
Entering the fourth quarter trailing then-No. 3 Louisville 51-37, NC State was given a 2% chance to win by ESPN. Yet, a 31-point fourth quarter propelled the Wolfpack to a stunning 68-59 comeback victory.
Only two players in NCAA Division I history, Long Beach State’s Cindy Brown and Minnesota’s Rachel Banham, had ever scored 60 points in a single game entering last weekend. In fact, 127 teams currently average less than 61 points per contest. All of this is to say that the probability of a player breaking the Division I scoring record was infinitesimal …even if that player was Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee. Despite such long odds, Lee dropped an astounding 61 points against Oklahoma Sunday afternoon.
I dive into each of these stories in further detail below. But this week’s roundup begins on a somber note, as the sports world reflects on the life of a true pioneer of women’s basketball, Lusia Harris.
Remembering the Queen of Basketball
Lusia “Lucy” Harris, one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time, passed away last Tuesday at the age of 66. Her accomplishments on the court include: leading her Delta State team to three consecutive AIAW national championships in the 1970s, scoring the first basket in Olympic women’s basketball history in 1976 en route to that team’s silver medal, and being the first woman drafted by an NBA team (the New Orleans Jazz selected her in 1977). This culminated in her induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, becoming the first Black woman to receive that accolade.
Harris once said, “Pat Summitt, Nancy Lieberman, Ann Meyers, they are still in the media. And they are still well known. A lot of people still do not know Lusia Harris. I want to be known too.” In one of the many tributes to this remarkable woman, The Black Sportswoman’s Bria Felicien discussed her reaction to that comment and stressed the importance of ensuring that “the names of the pioneers that have come before us don’t continue to be forgotten.” To that end, here is a small sample of stories that have chronicled her compelling life.
The Queen of Basketball is a 22-minute New York Times documentary directed by Ben Proudfoot profiling her childhood in rural Mississippi, dominance in college, and her navigation of a time with few post-college basketball opportunities.
In her final interview, Harris spoke with For The Win’s Bryan Kalbrosky about her career, what she hopes viewers take away from the aforementioned documentary, and Shaquille O’Neal’s involvement in the project.
For FiveThirtyEight, Bria Felicien offered insight into how Harris’ performance at the 1976 Olympics set the stage for Team USA’s current dynasty.
Power Six performance of the week: Ayoka Lee, Kansas State
Two weeks ago, Ayoka Lee scored 24 points in the first half, matching the point total of that night’s opponent, Iowa State, through 20 minutes. The Kansas State redshirt junior finished with 38 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in her team’s 73-70 loss. It was an impressive effort against a top-ten team. Sunday’s performance blew that out of the proverbial water.
Lee dropped a Division I record 61 points to go along with 12 boards and three blocks en route to Kansas State’s 94-65 drubbing of then-No. 14 Oklahoma. Yes, you read that correctly. She nearly outscored Oklahoma, an offensive juggernaut that ranks second nationally in scoring at 87.1 points per game. Lee’s offensive efficiency was off the charts Sunday afternoon, as she knocked down 23 of her 30 field goal attempts (76.7%) and shot 15-for-17 from the free-throw line (88.2%). The three-time Big 12 Player of the Week feasted on an Oklahoma squad whose starting lineup features no player taller than 6 feet, 2 inches.
"I didn't come in expecting to break a record," Lee said. "I think [it was] just sticking to our game plan, running what we needed to run, and our guards did amazing.”
Lee’s monster game was a team effort. Yes, it’s the ultimate sports cliche, and Lee deserves the lion’s share of the credit. However, it reflects the reality that Lee’s teammates assisted on all but two of her 23 field goals. Their great entry passes and Lee’s ability to establish position in the low post proved to be a combination so effective that Lee only needed three dribbles to convert her 23 field goals.
She ranks second in the country in scoring, averaging 25.5 points per contest, and third in blocked shots, with 3.5 rejections per game. Lee leads the country in player efficiency rating and win shares. It’s an outstanding resume, but it’s her recent performances against the cream of the Big 12 crop that have captured the nation’s attention and landed her team atop the conference standings. In three games against Iowa State, Baylor, and Oklahoma (all AP top 25 teams), Lee has averaged 43.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per contest.
Mid-Major performance of the week: Alex Fowler, Portland
The University of Portland’s Alex Fowler filled the stat sheet Saturday afternoon with a career-high 32 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, leading her team to a thrilling 76-71 overtime victory over Santa Clara. Only Caitlin Clark, Nyara Sabally, and 2021 Her Hoop Stats Mid-Major Player of the Year Kierstan Bell have posted a line of at least 30 points, 10 boards, four assists, and two blocks this season. That’s pretty good company. But what cemented her as my pick for the week’s best mid-major performance was her dominance in overtime. The Townsville, Australia native scored 10 of her team’s 13 points in the extra frame to help seal the victory.
“I think I’ve learned that I can’t be as timid as I used to be…and not just play for a half and not play for another half and be silent,” Fowler said following Saturday’s win. “So, I think I’ve started to step up doing that a little more, whether it be scoring, getting boards, whatever I have to do to help my team win.”
Fowler stepped up in a major way on Saturday and has done plenty all season to help the Pilots to their 12-4 mark. A two-time West Coast Conference First Team selection, Fowler has continued her stellar play this year, ranking in the country’s top 2% in the following categories: points per game (18.1), two-point field goal percentage (61.5%), offensive rebounding rate (16.0%), player efficiency rating (33.8), and win shares per 40 minutes (0.39).
Game of the Week: NC State stuns Louisville with epic fourth-quarter comeback
3-1,278. Entering Thursday night, that was the record this season of teams trailing by at least 14 points entering the fourth quarter per ESPN Stats & Information. Louisville boasts one of the top defenses in the country, leading the nation (at the time) in points allowed per 100 possessions. NC State entered its matchup against Louisville as the nation’s No. 2 team in three-point shooting at 40.9%; however, the Wolfpack hit just one of its first 13 attempts from behind the arc. Suffice it to say, the Wolfpack had quite the mountain to climb when it faced a 51-37 deficit heading into the final quarter Thursday night versus the Cardinals.
Then NC State guard Diamond Johnson hit a three. Jakia Brown-Turner drained another. The capacity crowd at Reynolds Coliseum erupted, sensing an epic comeback in the works. While Louisville came up empty on its next five possessions, NC State added 11 more points to the run, including two more triples by Johnson. The 17-0 blitz transformed a 53-41 deficit into a five-point advantage for the Wolfpack, a lead they would never relinquish. In the end, NC State outscored Louisville 31-to-8 in the final quarter on 5-for-6 shooting from long distance and emerged with the 68-59 victory, completing one of the most improbable fourth-quarter comebacks in recent memory.
"We started hitting shots, we started getting some stops, got a couple of turnovers off the press that I really thought got the crowd into it," NC State coach Wes Moore said. "It's a great, great win for our program. I just have so much respect for Louisville. They came in with that 1-3-1 zone and we had some trouble with it."
Louisville’s stingy defense had the desired effect for most of the game, particularly in the first half when it limited the nation’s second-most efficient offense (113.1 points per 100 possessions) to just 21 points on 8-for-25 shooting (32%). While the Cardinals weren’t the epitome of offensive efficiency, hitting less than 40% of their first-half field goal attempts, their 10-to-3 edge in turnovers and 11-to-6 advantage in offensive rebounds allowed them to attempt 13 more field goals than the Wolfpack. However, it’s difficult keeping a team as offensively skilled as NC State down for a full 40 minutes. Louisville coach Jeff Walz surely understood this when he jokingly called for the game to be called during an interview at halftime with his team leading 34-21.
Johnson led a balanced Wolfpack scoring attack with 16 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Elissa Cunane added 15 points to go along with 12 boards for her fifth double-double of the season. A pivotal component of NC State’s 17-0 run, Brown-Turner scored 10 fourth-quarter points and finished with 14.
For Louisville, Olivia Cochran had arguably the best game of her career. The sophomore forward dropped 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. Emily Englster recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Hailey Van Lith chipped in with 13 points.
The Wolfpack (18-2 overall, 9-0 in conference), who grabbed sole possession of first place in the ACC, extended their winning streak to eight games with a 51-45 win over Virginia Tech on Sunday. They next see action Sunday afternoon against North Carolina. Louisville (16-2 overall, 6-1 in conference) bounced back with a 72-60 victory over Wake Forest on Sunday. The Cardinals host Florida State Thursday night.
2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watch List
Last week, the Her Hoop Stats team unveiled its midseason watch list for the third annual Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award. The list consisted of 15 players representing 13 conferences. Check out the Her Hoop Stats newsletter for more details regarding these outstanding players.
Adam’s Top 25
Here’s my top 25, which as always is based on the criterion of who would currently win in a hypothetical neutral-court matchup.
Her Hoop Stats content in case you missed it
The Her Hoop Stats team released the following podcast content this past week:
Jacob Mox joined host Megan Gauer on Unplugged to talk about the release of the Her Hoop Stats Mid-Major Player of the Year midseason watch list, Ayoka Lee’s record-breaking performance, and much more.
Sabreena Merchant of SB Nation joined Gabe Ibrahim on the Her Hoop Stats Podcast to discuss the Los Angeles Sparks’ offseason, Phoenix’s delay in selecting a head coach, and the likely destinations for Liz Cambage.
On Courtside, Gabe Ibrahim and Christy Winters Scott remembered the life of basketball legend Lusia Harris and discussed Caitlin Clark’s recent dominant run.
Robert Mummery evaluated Yvonne Anderson’s game and assessed whether she could end up on a WNBA roster despite going undrafted 10 years ago.
In their weekly review of the Big Ten, Derek Willis and Marissa Sisk recapped Michigan’s convincing win over Maryland and explored whether Indiana can handle life without MacKenzie Holmes for the next several weeks.
In her weekly recap of the Pac-12, Kim Doss covered the Adia Barnes-Kelly Graves saga as well as Oregon’s pair of wins over AP top 10 teams.
James Hyman wrote about Louisville’s penchant for slow starts as well as Notre Dame’s resume-building top-25 win over North Carolina in his weekly ACC column.
Other recommended content
For Fansided, journalist Iqbal Kirmani and photojournalist Adil Hussain explored the importance of wheelchair basketball to the emotional health of people with disabilities in Kashmir.
The Athletic’s Charlotte Carroll broke down Oregon’s recent resurgence, which has included two victories over AP top 10 teams.
For The Next, Jenn Hatfield chronicled Harvard coach Kathy Delaney-Smith’s formative coaching years at Westwood High School, including the lasting impact on her players and her fierce advocacy of Title IX.
The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings spoke with Becky Hammon about her decision to accept the Las Vegas Aces head coaching job and how she’s settling into the new role.
Trivia question of the week
If you order all inductees in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame alphabetically by last name, who is currently last?
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.