Lee sets NCAA record with 61

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State junior Ayoka Lee broke the single-game scoring record for Division I women’s basketball with 61 points as the Wildcats romped to a 94-65 victory over No. 14 Oklahoma on Sunday. The 6-foot-6 center from Byron, Minnesota, made 23 of 30 shots from the floor — she did not attempt a shot from 3-point range — as Kansas State improved to 15-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12 Conference. Lee broke the record on a layup with 2:53 remaining in the game. Cindy Brown of Long Beach State scored 60 against San Jose State on Feb. 16, 1987, and Rachel Banham had 60 for Minnesota on Feb. 7, 2016 against Northwestern. “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.” This past week, the Sooners (16-3, 5-2) had cracked the top 15 in the rankings for the first time since Nov. 28, 2016, and they entered Sunday averaging 88.3 points per game, second in the nation. Lee had 32 points in the first half to help Kansas State take a 51-27 lead. She surpassed her school-record 43-point performance, which came in this season’s opener, on a layup with 1:55 left in the third quarter to stretch Kansas State’s advantage to 66-49. Heading into the fourth, Lee had 49 points and the Wildcats were ahead 70-51. Lee, who had 14 points in the first quarter to stake the Wildcats to a 19-11 edge, made 15 of 17 free throws in the game and grabbed 12 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season. Kansas State freshman Serena Sundell pitched in with 11 points, eight assists and five boards.

› CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Trae Young scored 30 points and tied a season high with eight 3-pointers, and the streaky Atlanta Hawks defeated the cold-shooting Charlotte Hornets 113-91 on Sunday night for their fourth straight win. De’Andre Hunter chipped in with 20 points and overcame a hard fall late to stay in the game for the Hawks, who led by 27 in the fourth quarter. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges scored 19 apiece for the Hornets, who missed their first 19 tries from 3-point range and were an abysmal 11.1% (4-of-36) from behind the arc in the game. Ball and Terry Rozier were a combined 0-for-14 from long distance as Charlotte’s winning streak ended after three games. The Hawks, who reached the final round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last year, are looking to climb back in the playoff race after a rough stretch. “We are definitely headed in the right direction,” Young said. “Right now it’s more about consistency and keeping it going. We’re not satisfied.”

TENNIS

› MELBOURNE, Australia — Rafael

Nadal finally got the better of a crazy, long tiebreaker and knew he’d won half the battle. After saving four set points and missing with the first six of his own, Nadal finally clinched a tiebreaker that lasted 28 minutes and 40 seconds to set himself on course to secure a spot in the Australian Open quarterfinals for a 14th time. After his 7-6 (14), 6-2, 6-2 fourth-round victory over fellow left-hander Adrian Mannarino on Sunday, Nadal is three wins away from a 21st Grand Slam men’s singles title, which would break the record he shares with rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, neither of whom is competing in the year’s first major tournament. Nadal later reflected on a tiebreaker where momentum swung wildly; where chants of “Let’s go Rafa, Let’s go!” rang out; where a point was decided on a 25-shot rally with both players scrambling at full stretch; and that ended only when Nadal volleyed from deep in the court and Mannarino’s reflex reply skewed wide. “Well, you know, I played a couple,” he said, smiling, in reference to long tiebreakers in his accomplished career. “But, yeah, a crazy one, chances for both. And, yeah, lucky to win that tiebreak at the end, no? Half of the match in the tiebreak, without a doubt.” Nadal will next play Denis Shapovalov, the 22-year-old Canadian who finished off a 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev on Margaret Court Arena less than an hour later to reach the final eight in Australia for the first time. Shapovalov had to isolate after testing positive for COVID-19 when he arrived in Australia, but he recovered quickly to help Canada win the ATP Cup in Sydney and now reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the third time.