No storm was going to rain on Caitlin Clark’s parade Sunday as the rookie sensation made WNBA history with the Indiana Fever beating the Seattle Storm 92-75.
Clark recorded her 226th assist in her first professional season, setting the record for the most assists in season by a rookie in league history. The previous record was held by Ticha Penicheiro, who had 225 in 1998. What’s even more impressive is Penicheiro set the record in 30 games, while Clark broke it in her 28th game. With 12 more games left in the season, Clark has the opportunity to put the record in near untouchable territory. She finished the game with nine assists to extend her season total to 232.
Clark broke the record with an impressive three-fourths of the court pass to a Kelsey Mitchell, who finished the assist with a layup that got the crowd rocking inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Penicheiro was hyped to see her decades-old record go down.
‘Records are meant to be broken…it shows growth and evolution. Can’t think of a better player to break it!!’ she said on social media.
‘Ticha has been a big fan of mine ever since I was in college, and somebody that has always been right there to congratulate me or just be somebody that’s offered advice,’ Clark said on the ESPN broadcast postgame. ‘So to pass somebody like her, I’m just forever thankful that she’s been such a legend in our game. But it’s super cool. Hopefully there’s a lot more of those.’
It was a slow start for Indiana, with its 13 points after the first quarter tying a season-low. The offense picked up in the second quarter, finding some cracks into a stout Seattle defense. The Fever ended the first half on a 12-5 run to take a one-point lead into the intermission, even though Clark was 0-for-5 from 3-point land in the first 20 minutes.
Indiana’s offense kept up the pace out of halftime, but it was on fire in the fourth quarter. The Fever were knocking down shots at will in the final frame, including eight 3-pointers in nine attempts. The Fever outscored the Storm 33-17 in the fourth quarter and the game was over minutes before the final buzzer went off. Part of the hot fourth quarter was Lexie Hull, who made a career-high six 3-pointers in the contest.
It was the first win for Clark and the Fever against Seattle this season; the Storm beat the Fever in the first three meetings this season. The 17-point win is the biggest victory of the year for Indiana.
Caitlin Clark stats vs. Storm
Clark finished the game with 23 points, nine assists, five rebounds, two blocks, one steal and five turnovers. It’s her third consecutive game with at least 20 points. She was 9-for-19 from the field and 3-for-10 in 3-pointers, with all of her made shots outside the arc coming in the second half.