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Chennedy Carter, Rhyne Howard shine despite injuries

By Bria Felicien

CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 30: Texas A&M Aggies guard Chennedy Carter (3) dribbles the ball in game action during the Women's NCAA Division I Championship - Third Round game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Texas A&M Aggies on March 30, 2019 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 30: Texas A&M Aggies guard Chennedy Carter (3) dribbles the ball in game action during the Women's NCAA Division I Championship - Third Round game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Texas A&M Aggies on March 30, 2019 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Two underclassmen had a record-setting week

Texas A&M junior Chennedy Carter missed about a month due to an ankle injury.

In her first game back, she scored 18 points in 21 minutes against Vanderbilt. Days later, she tallied 37 points on the road at No. 25 Tennessee.

Less than a week after her return, Carter was named co-Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, the SEC announced Tuesday.

The 5’7 guard played against Tennessee like she did pre-injury – sacrificing her body in the lane, grabbing steals and confidently shooting from three. She scores so naturally, it’s hard to realize she’s already tallied so many points. And now, she holds the Texas A&M record for most 30-point games with 12.

Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair said vs. the Lady Vols, he was more focused on managing Carter’s fouls than her minutes – she played 37 – during the game in Knoxville.

“She is full-go at all times,” Blair said. “I had to manage the foul situation, because she has a problem at reaching and making some mistakes and putting us in a bind. I had to play offense and defense a little different. I thought Chennedy had a great game. That is expected with her. She has teammates that set her up really well.”

Carter is averaging 22.5 points and 4.8 per game this season and has tallied 64 assists and 34 steals.

The Aggies visit Georgia on Feb. 20 and South Carolina on March 1.

RALEIGH, NC – MARCH 23: Kentucky Wildcats guard Rhyne Howard (10) shoots the 3-pointer during the 2019 Div 1 Women’s Championship – First Round college basketball game between the Princeton Tigers and the Kentucky Wildcats on March 23, 2019, at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by Michael Berg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Along with Carter, Kentucky sophomore Rhyne Howard, was named co-SEC Player of the Week. Honors she essentially earned while playing with one hand.

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She recently missed three games due to a finger injury, but scored 26 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and used clutch defense to secure her team’s win over Mississippi State. All while playing with a thick bandage on her left hand.

The win was the Wildcats’ first game over a top-10 opponent since 2017, and in the game, Howard became the second-fastest player in Kentucky women’s basketball history to reach 1,000 points.

Howard, who has been practicing with the cast, said she’s getting more comfortable while playing with the bandage.

“I think I was just pumped to be back and just being able to play with my teammates again,” Howard said. “We knew these were going to be big games and I couldn’t just come back and think, ‘Oh my hands broke, it’s time to take time off.’ I just have to push through it.”

This is Howard’s fourth SEC Player of the Week honor of the season. She’s averaging 23.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

No. 14 Kentucky hosts No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday on ESPN2.

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