Aces rookie Kate Martin exits game with lower leg injury

Kate Martin has been one of the best stories in the WNBA this season, but she finished the Las Vegas Aces‘ game on Tuesday in clear pain.

The rookie out of Iowa went down hard in the first quarter against the Chicago Sky, falling awkwardly after making contact with defender Dana Evans. Martin’s teammates were concerned enough that they immediately surrounded her, with some players going as far as using towels to hide her from cameras.

Martin exited the court and was later pronounced out for the rest of the game with a lower right leg injury. The good news is Martin looked much better as she walked onto the court before the start of the second half, wearing a jersey and sweatpants.

She still appeared to have a slight limp, but was walking under her own power. She received a nice cheer from fans at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Martin’s injury occurred as the Sky were stunning the Aces in a first quarter that ended with Chicago up 25-12. Las Vegas bridged the gap in the fourth quarter, but one more Sky run ended up snapping the Aces’ four-game win streak as Chicago won 93-85.

Chennedy Carter led all scorers with a season-high 34 points for the Sky, while Aces star A’ja Wilson had another monster game with 28 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and three steals.

Martin entered Tuesday averaging only 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game for the defending champions, but her unlikely story and fit in the Aces’ locker room made her an immediate fan favorite in Las Vegas. While most second-round draft picks don’t even make their team’s rosters, Martin played her way into a good team’s rotation.

Hopefully, she won’t have to miss much time moving forward.