Caitlin Clark put up a historic stat line as the Indiana Fever earn a big win against the New York Liberty on Saturday. The Fever overcame a large second-half deficit to take a 83-78 victory in front of an electric crowd at home.
After the Fever started the game with a dominant run, the Liberty bounced back, outscoring Indiana in the second and third quarters. However, the Fever pushed back against New York’s lead, outscoring the Liberty 28-16 in the final frame to take the comeback win.
Indiana’s comeback win was fueled in part by Clark’s historic performance: The rookie guard put up 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double. Clark’s stat line also makes her the first Indiana Fever player to record a triple-double. Her total rebounds and assists also ties her career high.
Clark hit the milestone in the fourth quarter, pulling down her 10th rebound.
THERE IT IS 🌟
Caitlin Clark records the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA History and the first triple-double in Indiana Fever history! pic.twitter.com/UrnnW1AwQP
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 6, 2024
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu lead both teams with 22 points, while teammate Betnijah Laney-Hamilton tied her career high with 20 points. On the Fever side, however, four of the starters put up double-digits, with Aliyah Boston scoring 18, Kelsey Mitchell scoring 14 and NaLyssa Smith chipping in 12 behind Clark’s 19.
Clark is just the latest WNBA player to put up the prestigious state line. Because WNBA games (40 minutes) are shorter than NBA games (48 minutes), triple-doubles have been rarer in the WNBA compared to the NBA. However, the triple-double has exploded in the league in recent years, with nine in the summer of 2022 alone.
Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas leads the WNBA in career triple-doubles by a dominant margin, and recorded her 10th with a 13-point, 14-assist, 10 rebound game in the Sun’s win over the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday.
With the win, the Fever move to 9-13, sitting at eighth in the league, while the 17-4 Liberty stay in the number one spot. New York has a tough challenge ahead, traveling to play the second-ranked Sun on Wednesday, while Indiana plays the 11th-ranked Washington Mystics.