Caitlin Clark She broke the WNBA record with 19 assists in a single game. Indiana Feverof 101-93 Road loss To Dallas Wings The final league match before the month-long Olympic break was played on Wednesday night.
His previous record for assists in a single game was 18. Courtney Vandersloot for Chicago August 31, 2020. VanderSloot also scored 18 points in a playoff game on September 28, 2021.
Clark, the 2024 No. 1 draft pick and NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, finished with 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting. She assisted or scored 66 points for the Fever, the most in a single game in WNBA history. Diana Taurasi August 10, 2006.
Clark became just the second rookie in league history to score or assist 50 or more points in multiple games, joining Candace Parker in 2008.
College career high in assists Iowa I was 18 years old. Pennsylvania State University Her current WNBA season high is 13, recorded on Jan. 25, 2022, and she has recorded that number four times, most recently in a 95-86 win. Phoenix On Friday night.
Clark’s performance marked just the second 20-point, 15-assist game in league history, the other being VanderSloot in 2018. It also marked Clark’s third time with 20-plus points and 10-plus assists; the only other player to do so as a rookie was Angel McCaughey in 2009.
“She’ll say it doesn’t mean anything, but I think it’s pretty cool,” the teammate said. Aaliyah BostonAfter scoring a career-high 28 points, he spoke of Clark’s contributions:
“I just try to help my teammates be successful,” said Clark, who contributed 62 points in the paint with nine assists against Boston alone. “Sometimes I almost overpass… Especially with AB, I’m just trying to help her out. My eyes are always on the post players.”
Clark is the first rookie in WNBA history and just the ninth player to record at least 400 points and 200 assists in a season. Chelsea Gray There are three seasons, Alyssa Thomas There are two other players with six: Sue Bird; Jordan Canada, Natasha Cloud, Sabrina Ionescu, Courtney Williams And Vandersloot has one of each.
“We’re thrilled to be able to take this opportunity,” Fever coach Christy Sides said.[Clark] She has the ability and the vision to see things, and as we play with her, we’re getting better and better… 19 assists is unbelievable. It’s unbelievable.”
Following her record-breaking performance, Clarke saw her WNBA Rookie of the Year odds rise from -1000 to -2000 on ESPN BET and Sky Sports. Angel Reese Moved from +500 to +600.
After 26 games this season, Clark has recorded 915 points or assists, a single-season record for a rookie. Her 213 assists this season are second-most by a rookie in league history, tying Ticha Penicheiro’s record of 225.
But after the game, Fever lamented leaving Dallas without a win. The Wings, currently 6-19, are last in the WNBA standings and Indiana knows every game matters as it looks to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“Offensively, I felt like we could do whatever we wanted all night. We just played bad defense,” Clark said. “We allowed 28 points off turnovers, and I think 20 of those points came in the first half, so it was a real struggle to start the game. We’ve got to take better care of the ball. If you give up 100-plus points, it’s pretty much impossible to win.”
With the loss, the Fever dropped to 11-15 and will enter the Olympic break in seventh place in the league standings. The top eight teams advance to the postseason.
“It’s a bit frustrating, I feel like we’ve got two winnable matches left before we go into the break. Mystic “We’ve won at home and obviously this game and other matchups that have been really tough for us,” Clark said. “I think that’s the biggest area our team can improve in. With 14 games left this year, we can’t afford to miss these opportunities.”
Clark, Boston and teammates Kelsey Mitchell Next up will be the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday in Phoenix, where the trio and the rest of the WNBA team will face off against the U.S. Olympic team.
ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
