With yet another dominant performance against Angel Reese under her belt, Caitlin Clark may have settled the ongoing debate over who should be crowned the WNBA Rookie of the Year.
On Friday, Clark proved that she’s more than worthy of the accolade in the Indiana Fever’s 100-81 rout of the Chicago Sky . The 22-year-old finished the contest with 12 assists, four rebounds and a career-high 31 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.
Reese, meanwhile, struggled to find similar success, recording just 10 points, 11 rebounds and two assists on 4-of-9 shooting.
It didn’t take long for Clark to leave her fingerprint on Friday’s contest. In the first half alone, she recorded 15 points, seven assists and three rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting.
From the opening tipoff, it appeared as though Clark was intent on putting on a show in enemy territory. With just under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Fever guard received a pass from Erica Wheeler well behind the arc and fired off a shot from the logo that hit nothing but net - her third 3-pointer of the first half.
Before heading to the line for an And-1 play following a contested layup, Clark turned to Chicago fans and engaged in hilarious smack talk, asking: "Did that go in, did that go in?"
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After putting the finishing touches on the Fever’s blowout victory, Clark walked off the court with just under four minutes to play in the contest. As the rookie made her way to the bench, she began waving her hands up and down to hype up the crowd - prompting a fervent response from Indiana fans that’d made the trek to Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
As has been the case for much of this year, Clark made history on Friday by recording the most games by a rookie with over 20 points and 10 assists (9). Ticha Penicheiro was the previous record-holder after recording eight during the 1998 season.
Though Clark’s strong showing likely brings her one step closer to the Rookie of the Year Award, she asserted that the title is the least of her worries.
"I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer," Clark said during a pre-game press conference. "You don't wake up and think about individual awards. I know that's what all of you think we do. I know we don't. That's what everybody wants to make this about."
"Both of our teams are competing for playoff spots, that's our main focus,” she continued. “That's a selfish thing to just care about an individual award. And she would give you the same exact answer. I'm sure she has given you the same exact answer.
“If you're playing basketball to win individual awards, no matter what level you're at, you're doing it wrong."
Thanks to Friday’s win, the Fever are now back at .500 with a 16-16 record, good enough for third in the Eastern Conference. As for the Sky, they sit at 11-20 with a 4-12 record at home.
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