Rhyne Howard Earns Fifth SEC Freshman of the Week Honor

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky freshman guard Rhyne Howard has earned her fifth Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honor after scoring a combined 31 points with 11 assists, nine rebounds, seven steals and three blocks in UK’s first two league games last week.
 
Howard is the first player in program history to win five SEC Freshman of the Week honors, surpassing Bria Goss, who claimed four rookie of the week honors during her time at Kentucky. Howard’s five freshman of the week honors rank second most in league history and just one behind Missouri’s Sophie Cunningham who won a SEC record six freshman of the week honors in 2015-16. 
 
The native of Cleveland, Tenn., started conference play with 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block against Vanderbilt before scoring 15 points with six steals, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks at highly ranked Mississippi State. The seven assists vs. Vanderbilt were a career high for Howard, who led UK in assists in both games. The 15-point performances marked the 11th and 12th time this season she has scored 15 or more points in a game. Howard has posted six or more steals in three games this season and has hit at least one 3-pointer in 14 of the team’s 16 games, including two or more in 12 games. Her strong performance against Vanderbilt helped Kentucky Head Coach Matthew Mitchell earn his 300th career win.
 
Howard leads Kentucky this season in scoring and rebounding with 17.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The guard ranks second on the team in assists with 45, steals with 38 and blocks with 16. Howard has scored 20 or more points five times this season, including a season-best 29 against Southern where she tied a school record with seven 3-pointers made.
 
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