Caitlin Clark had a very good game on Friday, and therefore continued to make WNBA history.
The Indiana Fever rookie posted 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting with 13 assists and 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 looked in full control of the Fever offense. She proceeded to stuff the stat sheet in the way only two other rookies have done in league history: herself and Angel McCoughtry. She and McCoughtry were the only rookies to ever post at least 20 points and 10 assists in a game, and now she’s the only one who has done it twice.
Even wilder: Clark did it in back-to-back games, having posted 29 and 13 against the Washington Mystics on Wednesday.
It wasn’t a completely smooth game, though. While Clark had no shortage of highlights, the Fever saw what was once a 31-point lead slip to only four points with about three minutes left in the game. Indiana held on from there, but it was a frustrating fourth quarter.
As Clark’s chair can explain.
Alongside Clark, Kelsey Mitchell posted 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 Rookie of the Year case keeps getting bigger
It’s beginning to become a given that Clark will make some kind of history when she takes the floor. In the same game, she became the first WNBA rookie to post 400 points, 150 assists and 100 rebounds in a season.
In that game against the Mystics, Clark became the first WNBA player — not rookie, player — to post at least 25 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, five steals and five 3-pointers in a single game. Last Saturday, she posted 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. She tied that record for the third game in a row on Friday. If she continues her pace of 11.7 assists per game over her last six games, she’ll shatter the WNBA rookie record of 7.5 assists per game.
We could go on. Clark was historically prolific at Iowa and after an early adjustment period, she’s historically prolific in the WNBA too.
That doesn’t mean the Rookie of the Year race is over, however. While Clark has made all sorts of history, her rival Angel Reese has grabbed the WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles at 15 and counting. The previous mark belonged to Candace Parker at 12.
It’s perhaps worth noting Clark’s own double-double streak is now at five, mostly accomplished via assists rather than rebounds like Reese.
