No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark made history on Saturday afternoon during the Indiana Fever’s comeback win over the league-leading New York Liberty, 83-78. With her 10th rebound early in the fourth quarter, Clark became the first rookie to record a triple-double in WNBA history.
Clark finished the game with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists, also becoming the first player in Fever franchise history to achieve a triple-double.
Another look at Caitlin Clark’s rebound that made history!
✅ 1st rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double
✅ 1st player in Indiana Fever history to record a triple-double pic.twitter.com/SzKRpyC5FV— WNBA (@WNBA) July 6, 2024
“I feel like we’re playing good team basketball,” Clark said in her postgame interview. “My teammates are finishing really well around the rim and I wanna find them. It would have been nice if I could’ve made a couple more 3s, they gave me some good looks. But just happy for our group, a great win, great for our fans, and that’s just fun basketball.”
Clark’s leadership was evident early in the game as the Fever used their transition attack to build an early double-digit lead. She scored the team’s first five points and either scored or assisted on 12 of their 17 field goals in the first half.
Caitlin Clark had a historic performance in Indiana’s win over the #1 New York Liberty ⬇️
19 PTS
12 REB
13 ASTShe becomes the 1st rookie in WNBA history & the 1st player in Fever history to record a triple-double, while also becoming the fastest player to 350+ PTS & 150+ AST! pic.twitter.com/CYDdC0JNQv
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 6, 2024
Although the second half was challenging for Clark and the Fever, she rose to the occasion in the final minutes. Facing a six-point deficit with under three minutes remaining, Clark converted an and-one play, then assisted Kelsey Mitchell on a three-pointer to tie the game. A few possessions later, she assisted Lexie Hull’s layup, pushing the Fever’s lead to four points.
Caitlin Clark either scored or assisted on 46 of the Fever’s 83 points, marking the fourth consecutive game in which she has been responsible for at least half of the Fever’s points.
For the season, Clark is averaging 16.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. She leads all rookies in scoring and assists and is third in the league in assists overall. The all-time rookie record for assists per game is 7.5, set by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998.
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