Caitlin Clark responded in typical fashion to Angel Reese breaking a WNBA record as the two rookie sensations battle it out for Rookie of the Year.
Reese and the Chicago Sky were defeated 79-74 by the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday at the Target Center in Minneapolis as the rookie sensation broke an all-time WNBA record . With four minutes remaining in the second quarter, Reese corralled a rebound off a missed 3-point attempt from Myisha Hines-Allen – taking her tally to six in the game and the 405th of the season overall.
The Sky forward’s feat broke the all-time WNBA record for most rebounds in a single season – not just among rookies – which previously stood at 404 by Sylvia Fowles in 2018. But just hours later, Clark replied by breaking another record for herself as she helped the Indiana Fever to a 100-93 victory over the Dallas Wings .
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Clark scored 28 points in 37 minutes on-court as she broke a Fever franchise landmark set by Tamika Catchings in 2002 for the highest rookie scoring mark in a season. The former Iowa star’s record-breaking basket came with 3:13 left in the half when she put up her 595th career point with a 3-pointer.
“You know when I walked in before the game, there were just hundreds of fans lined up. What Caitlin Clark has done for the game is generational,” Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman said during the broadcast. “As a baller to a baller, I just want to say thank you to you, Caitlin Clark. For just lifting our game up. You and so many great players.”
Her latest record could prove a good omen in her pursuit of being crowned WNBA Rookie of the Year, with Catchings scooping the prize the year she set the franchise rookie feat. Clark is firmly in the running with her incredible season seeing her average 18.4 points per game and shooting better than 40 per cent from the floor.
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However, ahead of Friday’s clash between the Sky and Fever, Reese insisted that winning the award isn’t something she’s focused on. “We don't either care about the Rookie of the Year but you guys, I think you guys have made the big thing. We haven't,” she said of her and Clark’s mindset towards the award.
“So I just continue to work within our team. We both want to win. We've been wanting to win and that's what we've done in our collegiate career,” Reese added. “We played against each other last year and the year before in the March Madness tournament. So we're just trying to do whatever it takes to win. That's what's important right now.”
Clark echoed Reese’s comments, as she said: "I think me and Angel would both give you the same answer," Clark said. "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. 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."
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