Caitlin Clark Becomes First WNBA Rookie with 20+ Points, 10+ Assists Games

Caitlin Clark played a very good game on Friday and continued to make WNBA history.

The Indiana Fever rookie recorded 20 points, 13 assists and six rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting in a 95-86 win over the Phoenix Mercury. Seven of those assists came in the first quarter, setting a Fever franchise record.

From the start of the game, Clark looked in complete control of the Fever offense. She filled up the stat sheet in a way that only two other rookies in league history have done: her and Angel McCoughtry. She and McCoughtry are the only rookies ever to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in a game, and she is now the only one to have done it twice.

What’s even crazier is that Clark did it in back-to-back games after scoring 29 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday’s win over the Washington Mystics.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Clark had plenty of highlights, but the Fever’s lead, which had been as high as 31 at one point, was down to just four with about three minutes left. Indiana hung on from there, but it was a frustrating fourth quarter.

In addition to Clark, Kelsey Mitchell added 28 points, and Aliyah Boston added 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Phoenix’s Kahlea Copper led the way with 36 points.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Kaitlyn Clark will be making some kind of history when she steps on the floor. In the same game, she became the first WNBA rookie to record 400 points, 150 assists and 100 rebounds in a season.

In that game against the Mystics, Clark became the first WNBA player, not a rookie, to record at least 25 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 5 three-pointers in a game. Last Saturday, she recorded the first rookie triple-double in WNBA history.

On June 23, Clark set a Fever franchise record with 13 assists in a single game. On Friday, she set that record for the third time in a row. If she can maintain her pace of 11.7 assists per game over the past six games, she will break the WNBA rookie record of 7.5 assists per game.

It’s okay to keep going. Clark has been historically accomplished at Iowa and, after an early adjustment period, has been historically accomplished in the WNBA.

But that doesn’t mean the Rookie of the Year title race is over. While Clark made plenty of history, her rival Angel Reese tied the WNBA record with 15 or more consecutive double-doubles. The previous record was 12, set by Candace Parker.

Perhaps more notably, Clark’s own double-double streak now stands at five. She did so primarily through assists, not rebounds like Reese.