By Madie Chandler | FeverBasketball.com
The Indiana Fever’s Friday matchup with the Phoenix Mercury brought flurries of offense, and with it, more franchise history.
Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston became the first duo in Fever history to record 20-point double doubles in the same game, but that was just one of Clark’s entries in the Fever history books on Friday. Her seven first quarter assists broke a franchise record, giving her ownership over Fever records for both assists in a single quarter (seven) and assists in a single game (13).
Through her first 24 career games, Clark has tied her own franchise assist record four times.
“It’s so fun, just getting to pick apart the defense,” Clark said. “Especially when we get stops on defense and get to go in transition. I just get excited, and honestly a lot of my turnovers, that’s where they come from…just trying to play exciting basketball in transition.”
All three of Indiana’s All-Stars recorded double-digit scoring totals in just the first half of play, leading the Fever to a 20-point advantage at the break. Kelsey Mitchell led with 17 first half points, Clark trailed closely with 15, and Boston notched 10 of her own. The stars’ offensive synergy was evident as seven of Clark’s nine first half dimes landed in either Boston or Mitchell’s hands.
The All-Star trio ended the contest each notching 20-point outings – Mitchell’s 28 led Indiana, followed by Boston’s 21, and Clark’s 20. Boston led Indiana in rebounding with 13, and Clark’s 13 assists led the Fever’s passing efforts.
“I think as a unit we’re starting to play faster,” Clark said. “…We’re pushing in transition faster. That’s where we’re finding a lot of success. But I think just my comfortability of playing with my teammates, playing in this league, like I’m just learning every single day…the more experience I’m going to get, the better I’m going to get, the more I’m going to be able to improve and just learn things from game to game.”
Clark’s recent string of games – five straight double-doubles dating back to June 30 – shows the rookie’s comfortability producing at the professional level. She’s the owner of the WNBA’s second-longest streak of double digit points and assists games (five), and another game of the same caliber will tie her with Courtney Vandersloot for first in the league’s history.
She also now owns the most double-double games by a rookie guard in WNBA history with eight. Clark is the first rookie since Sue Bird in 2002 to have more than three double doubles, and she still has 16 games left in her debut season.
“She just does what she does,” coach Christie Sides said of Clark’s game. “She’s got the ability to draw several defenders, she’s got a crazy eye for her teammates and where they are and moving…That’s just what she’s capable of.”
Clark is second in the WNBA in assists per game with 7.8, and trails just Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas who dishes 7.9 per game. With just two games left before the league’s Olympic Break, Clark averages 12.5 assists per contest in the month of July. With her 13 assists on Friday, Clark stays on pace to have the highest assists per game average in a single month in WNBA history.
Indiana is now 2-2 in July, and looks to its two remaining opportunities to grab wins before the break. They’ll look to rally behind Clark’s historic rookie season as it continues on Sunday when the Fever travel to Minnesota to take on the Lynx, and then end the first stint of the season in Dallas on Wednesday.
