Caitlin Clark had a very good game on Friday, and thus continued to make history in the WNBA.
The Indiana Fever rookie scored 20 points, shot 8-of-16, dished out 13 assists and grabbed six rebounds in a 95-86 win over the Phoenix Mercury. Seven of those assists came in the first quarter, tying a Fever franchise record.
From the start of the game, Clark seemed to be in complete control of the Fever’s offense. She proceeded to fill up the stat sheet over time. Only two other rookies have done it in league history.: She and Angel McCoughtry. She and McCoughtry were the only rookies to score at least 20 points and 10 assists in a game, and now she is the only one to have done it twice.
Even wilder: Clark did it in back-to-back games, having recorded 29 and 13 against the Washington Mystics on Wednesday.
It wasn’t a completely smooth game, though. Although Clark had No shortage HighlightsThe Fever saw their 31-point lead shrink to just four points with about three minutes left in the game. Indiana held on to the lead from there, but the fourth quarter was frustrating.
As Clark’s chair can explain.
Along with Clark, Kelsey Mitchell scored 28 points, while Aliyah Boston had 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper led all scorers with 36 points.
Caitlin Clark’s case for Rookie of the Year continues to grow
It’s starting to become a given that Clark will make some kind of history when she steps onto the court. In the same game, she She became the first WNBA rookie record 400 points, 150 assists and 100 rebounds in a season.
In that game against the Mystics, Clark She became the first WNBA player —not a rookie, but a player—to score at least 25 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, five steals and five three-pointers in a single game. Last Saturday, she recorded the first triple-double the WNBA has ever seen from a rookie.
On June 23, Clark set a Fever franchise record with 13 assists in a single game. On Friday, she matched that record for the third straight game. If she continues her pace of 11.7 assists per game over her final six games, she will break the WNBA rookie record of 7.5 assists per game.
We could go on. Clark was historically prolific at Iowa and, after an initial adjustment period, is also historically prolific in the WNBA.
That doesn’t mean the race for Rookie of the Year is over, though. While Clark has made history, rival Angel Reese has claimed the WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 15 and counting. The previous mark was held by Candace Parker with 12.
It’s perhaps worth noting that Clark’s double-double streak now stands at five, achieved primarily through assists rather than rebounds like Reese.