Caitlin Clark Sets WNBA Record For Single-Game Assists In Fever Loss

Caitlin Clark set a WNBA record with 19 assists in a game against the Dallas Wings Wednesday night, breaking the previous record of 18 set by Courtney Vandersloot in 2020. Clark also scored 23 points in the contest, though the Fever still came up short in a 101-93 loss.

“I just try to set my teammates up for success,” Clark said after her record-breaking game, according to ESPN. “I think at times I can almost overpass … especially with AB (Aliyah Boston), I’m just looking to set her up so much. My eyes are just always on our post players.”

After taking some time to adjust early in the season, Clark has quickly become one of the WNBA’s brightest young stars in her rookie year. Through 26 starts, she is scoring 17.1 points per game with 8.2 assists, placing her among the best point guards in the league.

Clark and Boston, a second-year forward, continue to drive production for the Fever, as the pair combined for 62 points in the defeat Wednesday night. Indiana’s supporting cast beyond its top pair does not match up to the best in the league, but the team began the season 0-5 and have gone 11-10 since then.

As an individual player, Clark is the overwhelming favorite to win Rookie of the Year, one year after Boston achieved the same feat in her debut season with the Fever. Clark’s only challenger for the award is longtime LSU rival Angel Reese, who earned 15 straight double-doubles as a member of the Chicago Sky.

The pair’s on-court rivalry, carried over from back-to-back NCAA Tournament games between Iowa and LSU, hasn’t missed a beat in the WNBA. A game between the Sky and Fever last month drew 2.3 million viewers, making it the most watched WNBA game in 23 years.

“It’s moreso a movement than a moment,” Clark said of the league’s popularity in a team statement Wednesday.