K-State star Ayoka Lee injured in win vs. Arizona State. How much time will she miss?

Kansas State’s latest victory came at a high price.

Even though the K-State women’s basketball team defeated Arizona State 81-69 in front of 6,879 fans on Sunday inside Bramlage Coliseum — and pushed its winning streak to 14 straight games — no one wearing purple was in a celebratory mood afterward.

That is because Ayoka Lee, the leading scorer in program history, left the game with an injury after only seeing 13 minutes of playing time. She limped to the locker room for medical attention and never returned.

K-State coach Jeff Mittie shared a pessimistic injury update during his postgame news conference.

“It’s not good, guys,” he said. “I don’t have a definitive update, but it’s not going to be a week or two.”

Lee entered the weekend averaging 16.5 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Wildcats. So it is scary to think about what life may be like without her on the basketball court.

But this isn’t the first time the senior center has encountered injury problems. She has missed two entire seasons because of knee injuries, and she was also sidelined for a few games last year.

For now, K-State will have to make due without her.

The Wildcats (19-1, 7-0 Big 12) did exactly that against the Sun Devils, as Temira Poindexter led the way with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Serena Sundell also contributed 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Perhaps this team is equipped to survive a prolonged stretch without its star post player. The Wildcats are a balanced group, and they proved it during their latest win.

K-State will look to keep its winning streak going when it returns to the court on Saturday at Colorado, even though the Wildcats are unlikely to have Lee for that matchup.