Rhyne Howard Joins Elite Company on Sunday
Kentucky women’s basketball All-American Rhyne Howard has delivered many magical moments during her four years in Lexington. But on Sunday against Winthrop, Howard may have finally outdone herself.
Howard became just the third player in Kentucky women’s basketball history to record a triple-double. That’s double figures in any three statistical categories, most generally points, rebounds and assists.
Leslie Nichols had the first triple-double in UK history. In 1986 against Louisville, Nichols had 18 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
Makayla Epps had Kentucky’s second triple-double. Against Morehead State in 2015, Epps had 21 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds.
Almost exactly six years later, Howard joined the UK triple-double club. Entering the fourth quarter, she had the points but still needed two assists and two rebounds to get the triple-double. UK head coach Kyra Elzy told her All-American she had a limited time to try to get where she wanted to go.
“She wanted (the assists and rebounds) bad,” Elzy said. “I took her out and she said ‘coach, I only need two rebounds and two assists’ and I was like ‘you’ve got about a minute and a half to get it done.'”
With 8:41 left in the game, Howard rebounded a shot that was missed by Winthrop’s Myra Strickland. Howard took the rebound and raced to the other end of the floor, dishing to a cutting Robyn Benton, who made the layup. Howard was one rebound and one assist from the triple-double.
On the very next possession, Strickland drove to the basket and missed and Howard again claimed the rebound, her 10th in the contest. Again, she took off down the floor and again, she found Benton, who made the shot, giving UK an 81-32 lead. But more importantly, those plays gave Howard 10 rebounds and 10 assists to go with her 22 points.
It’s just another in the long list of accomplishments for Howard at UK, according to Elzy.
“So proud of Rhyne,” Elzy said. “That’s just another accolade to add to the long list she already has at the University of Kentucky. That’s a confidence builder for her.”
Elzy also liked the mentality that going for the triple-double brought to Howard.
“She was excited about it, it was something that was on her mind,” Elzy said. “And I thought that made her play more aggressive today, which is good.”
The soft-spoken Howard could not really explain how she was able to get into such rare air on Sunday.
“It feels great, honestly,” Howard said. “I just feel like I set a good example for my teammates today. Showing them to work hard consistently.”
Howard’s teammates knew where she stood heading into the game’s final stanza.
“We knew. Heading into the fourth quarter, we said ‘Rhyne, go get yours’ and that’s exactly what she did,” UK’s Dre’una Edwards said. “Go ahead and do your thing, and she did.”
Howard is the two-time defending SEC Player of the Year, one of the leading candidates for national player of the year, is sixth on UK’s all-time scoring list, second in career scoring average, third in three-point field goals made and is eighth in school history in double-doubles (19). But her game on Sunday may have been the best one she’s had in a Kentucky uniform.
