March Madness 2022: Ayoka Lee, No. 9 Kansas State beat No. 8 Washington State

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Washington State put Ayoka Lee at the top of its scouting report.

It was apparent early on in the No. 8 Cougars’ clash with No. 9 Kansas State that the emphasis was on making things difficult for the 6-foot-6 center.

But even after making just one field goal in the first half, and her Wildcats trailing at intermission, Lee never lost focus.

"That was definitely just a struggle in the first half," Lee said. "Things just opened up more as we continued to play together. This was kind of a grind-through-it game. We kept working hard."

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Washington State's Ula Motuga (15) attempts a shot as Kansas State's Ayoka Lee (50) defends during the second half of a college basketball game in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, March 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

Lee finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds as Kansas State overcame a frustrating defensive scheme from Washington State and won 50-40 in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

A second-team AP All-America selection, Lee rallied in the second half to lead the Wildcats (20-11) to their first tournament victory since 2017. Brylee Glenn added 14 points for Kansas State.

Washington State (19-11) was powered by Charlisse Leger-Walker’s 20 points on offense. Ula Motuga grabbed 14 rebounds and scored five points.

Defensively, the Cougars used a total-team effort in an attempt to stifle Lee and disrupt Kansas State. Early on, it worked. Washington State led by as many as nine points in the first half and held Lee to just six points in the first 20 minutes.

"We struggled getting the ball to Lee, and she