Fever guard Caitlin Clark recorded the first triple-double by a freshman in WNBA history in Indiana’s 83-78 win over the first-place New York Liberty on Saturday in Indianapolis.
Clarke grabbed his 10th rebound at 7:07 of the fourth quarter, giving him a triple-double. He finished the game with 19 points, a season-best 13 assists, and 12 rebounds.
Clark, who wears No. 22, reached a triple-double in the 22nd game of her WNBA career. It was also the first triple-double in Fever history, which dates back to the franchise’s launch in 2000. Clark had 17 triple-doubles in her college career at Iowa — and the Hawkeyes won all of those games.
“Obviously, it’s amazing,” Clarke said of the triple-double. “My teammates are finishing the ball at a very high rate. My assist numbers, it’s because of them.”
However, Clark was more excited that the Fever defeated the Liberty, ending the franchise’s nine-game losing streak to New York. Clark and the Fever lost to the Liberty three times earlier this season, twice by 36-point margins.
“I’m just happy we won,” Clark said. “I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been able to do a lot of different things for this team. I think we’re really good when I can get the ball off the glass and just go in transition and find my teammates and set them up.”
The Fever outscored the Liberty 28-12 over the final 8:10 of the game, rallying from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The comeback was the WNBA’s second-largest fourth-quarter comeback against a team with the league’s best record, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The Liberty started Saturday on a 17-3 run.
Clark’s triple-double was also the first triple-double in league history against the team with the best record at the time. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark had come close to a triple-double earlier this season, including missing one rebound in the Fever’s win at Phoenix on June 30.
“We’re definitely playing good basketball … we’re playing better together,” Clark said. “But I think the biggest difference for us is that when teams make runs, we don’t fall apart. We always believe we’re in the game.”
The Fever shot 9-13 from behind the arc to allow New York to make 10 of 42 shots (23.8%). Indiana didn’t do much better from long range (7 of 24, 29.2%), but made 12 of 14 free throws and outrebounded New York 41-31.
NaLyssa Smith had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds), Aliyah Boston added 18 points and eight rebounds and Kelsey Mitchell scored 14 points for Indiana.
The Fever limited former MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones to a combined 20 points, while Sabrina Ionescu led New York with 22 points.
Clark and Chicago forward Angel Reese, who tied the WNBA’s consecutive double-doubles record in the Sky’s win over Seattle on Friday, have made the league’s Rookie of the Year award a fierce race between the two most high-profile rookies. They will both be on Team WNBA in the All-Star Game, facing Team USA on July 20.
