Caitlin Clark followed her historic performance on Saturday—becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple double—with another incredible performance. In the Fever’s loss to the Mystics, she recorded 29 points, five rebounds, and 13 assists, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record more than 25 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, five steals, and five 3-pointers made in a single game.
Indiana came within three points of the lead in the closing minutes thanks to Clark’s heroics in the fourth quarter, but Indiana lost 89-84.
Clark remarked, “When you have 23 turnovers, especially when they lead to 23 points, it’s really hard to win basketball games.” “..We put up a fierce fight that we never gave up. However, that will still be extremely difficult to overcome in this league.
After the Mystics extended their lead to 22 points at the close of the third quarter, Indiana’s excellent performance in the fourth quarter was marred by its first three.
Coach Christie Sides stated, “You can have a bad quarter, but you can’t have three bad quarters.” “..Alright, we can handle one quarter. but not a third or a second.
Indiana made the Fever work hard to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter after allowing Washington to score 76 of their 89 points in only the first three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, when the Fever defeated the Mystics 29–13, Clark scored 15 of her 29 points. Despite the effort, Indiana committed a disastrous 23 turnovers, which allowed Washington to score 23 points.
Clark declared, “I wasn’t going to give up.” “..Winning is still very difficult. To truly be able to pull off the comeback, everything must go your way.I had no intention of giving up.
In the game, Clark recorded her fourth straight double-double, giving her the second-longest stretch of double-digit points and assists games in the WNBA. Courtney Vandersloot of the New York Liberty has the longest streak with six of these victories.
As she collected three rebounds during the game, she also made history as the fastest guard in WNBA history to register 20 career blocks. She is now the only rookie in the league with 20 steals and 20 blocks for the season thanks to those blocks. On Wednesday, Clark’s defensive stat line grew by five steals, two of which came in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter. While the Fever struggled to salvage an unglamorous outing, she guided them to a near-comeback.
“You have to speak up for your team if you want to be the point guard,” Clark stated. “..I want to inspire, uplift, and be a reliable source of support for them.
Clark averaged 16.1 points and 7.4 assists per game this season, which is demonstrating to her teammates her dependability on the field. She will become the first player in WNBA history to average more than 16 points and seven assists if those stats hold true.
Her July statistics—20.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 12.3 assists per game—are also record-breaking. Clark will also hold the record for the first-ever 20-point and 10-assist month in the WNBA if she keeps up her current success.
Even if Washington defeated Indiana on Wednesday, Clark is still a legendary player for a young squad. The Fever will turn their attention to hosting the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night, when the Mercury will be looking to exact revenge for a defeat they suffered earlier in the season.
Sides remarked, “This league is fantastic.” “All teams are good, no matter how they perform…and we keep becoming better.