Fever guard Caitlin Clark makes WNBA history with unbelievable performance against Liberty
from Eric Smithling, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
Caitlin Clark recorded the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA history on Saturday in an 83-78 Fever win over the Liberty.
Clark had 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds as Indiana built an early 12-point lead and then came back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to pull off the victory.
Per the WNBA’s social media account, her triple-double is also the first in Fever franchise history.
As her unbelievable stat line implies, Clark showed off her full repertoire in the Fever’s comeback win.
Her passing was on-point, including this laser to forward NaLyssa Smith to give Indiana a 33-32 second-quarter lead.
After the first quarter, Clark’s three-point shot failed her — all three of her makes came in the opening 10 minutes — so she attacked the basket to get points, using her floater to bank a shot off the glass early in the fourth.
Her rebounding led to open transition looks, including guard Kelsey Mitchell’s three with 2:31 remaining that pulled Indiana even with New York at 75.
With the win, the Fever improved to 9-13 following a 2-9 start.
Clark is averaging 16.1 points, 7.4 assists and six rebounds per game. Per Across The Timeline, she could become the first player in league history to reach those numbers in a single season if she maintains her pace.
Only two players (Candace Parker in her eighth season and Sabrina Ionescu in Years 3 and 4) have averaged at least 16 points, five assists and five rebounds in a season.
The scariest thing about Clark through her first 22 WNBA games is she’s still searching for a reliable three-point shot. After shooting 37.7 percent from beyond the arc in four seasons at Iowa, Clark is 33.2 percent in the pros.
She’s already proved in her young career that she isn’t a one-dimensional weapon. With her sensational effort against the Liberty, Clark showed the different ways she can dominate the league.