WNBA: Caitlin Clark breaks single-game assist record, but Indiana Fever beaten by Dallas Wings
Published 18/07/2024 at 08:14 GMT+1
Caitlin Clark achieved another hugely impressive career milestone, but that counted for little for the rookie, who ended up on the losing side against the Dallas Wings. The Indiana Fever succumbed to a 15th defeat of the season. Clark was quizzed on surpassing the record after the match, but was, understandably, not in a celebratory mood.
Highlights as Clark's Fever beaten by Storm
Video credit: TNT Sports
Caitlin Clark once again made the headlines after breaking the record for most assists in a WNBA game, but ended up on the losing side in the Indiana Fever’s 101-93 defeat to the Dallas Wings.
Clark claimed 19 assists to surpass Courtney Vandersloot’s haul of 18 for Chicago Sky against Indiana on August 31, 2020, and in a playoff game just over a year later, on September 28, 2021.
The rookie achieved the historic feat with 2:22 left on the clock when she teed up Kelsey Mitchell to level the score at 93-93, but it proved to be a false dawn as Dallas went on an 8-0 run to win.
Clark managed 24 points on the night, while Aliyah Boston top-scored for Indiana with 28 points and NaLyssa Smith chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
The records keep tumbling for Clark - playing just her 26th pro game - who surpassed her previous career high of 13 assists.
Additionally, she is now only the second rookie in WNBA history to manage more than 200 assists in a season.
She is part of a prestigious club which includes Ticha Penicheiro, who had 225 assists in the 1998 season.
Penicheiro previously held the rookie single-game assists record of 16, which was set on July 29, 1998.
Clark was largely downbeat after the match, and explained she is still striving for improvements in her post-match comments to the media: “I just try to set my teammates up for success. I think at times, I can almost overpass.
“There probably could have been a few times where instead of passing that leads to a turnover. I can probably shoot the ball [but] I’m just looking to set [Boston] up so much. My eyes are always on our post players.”
Aside from the hype surrounding Clark, it was a superb night for the Wings in what had otherwise been a difficult campaign.
Odyssey Sims and Arike Ogunbowale both produced telling contributions for Dallas after scoring 24 points each to claim only a sixth win of the season.
- Curry stars in USA's overwhelming rout of Serbia and Jokic in pre-Olympics clash
- 'Punched in the mouth' - Reese outshines Wilson with double-double in Sky victory
Ogunbowale drained a superb effort just before the shot-clock buzzer with only 44.6 seconds left, in one of the night's highlights.
In contrast, there was frustration for Indiana, whose record is at 11 wins and 15 defeats heading into the month-long break for the Olympic Games at Paris 2024.
---
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement