Caitlin Clark was close last week — just a rebound shy of some more WNBA history — but Saturday, in the fourth quarter against the Liberty, she completed the first triple-double ever by a rookie.
After Kayla Thornton missed a shot, Clark collected her 10th rebound — to go with 11 assists and 16 points at the time — and received a standing ovation from the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Clark finished with 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in an 83-78 upset win over the Liberty.
“Obviously, it’s really cool,” Clark said postgame. “I mean, my teammates have been finishing the ball really, really at a high rate. My assists numbers, that’s because of them. Like just finding them in positions to be successful, whether it’s [Aliyah Boston], whether it’s [NaLyssa Smith].”
Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, started the game with 11 points in the first quarter, allowing the Fever to take a quick lead that lasted for most of the first half.
Three of her assists occurred during the opening frame, too.
“She found a rhythm tonight,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said. “The timing for our players is getting better every game. So some of the shots, those passes that she was making early, we just weren’t ready for them. Now, that chemistry is there. That timing is there. And that’s gonna keep getting better.
“But she just wants to win. She just wants to win, and to me, I mean, she’s gonna be my Rookie of the Year every day. Every day.”
In her fifth game of the season, Clark was two assists shy of a triple-double during the Fever’s May 24 win against the Sparks.
On June 19, she needed four more assists when Indiana defeated the Mystics.
Last week, against the Mercury, it was the elusive rebound to go along with her 15 points and 12 assists.
On Saturday, though, Clark gathered everything she needed.
There have been plenty of records with Clark’s name next to it already — both in the WNBA and dating back to her time at Iowa.
And now, there’s another one added to that list.
