ODU great’s WNBA rookie assists record broken by Caitlin Clark

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark made history over the weekend, breaking a WNBA record that was long held by — Old Dominion alum Ticha Penicheiro.

Clark had 23 points and nine assists in the Indiana Fever’s 92-75 win over the Seattle Storm to reach 232 assists so far for the year. That put her well past the previous WNBA rookie assists record of 224 set by Penicheiro in 1998.

Penicheiro took to social media on Sunday to congratulate Clark, saying the “record is in great hands.”

“A lot of people always talked about your shooting, I was always mesmerized about your passing, your court vision, and how you make your teammates better,” Penicheiro said.

Penicheiro, who is the now director of women’s basketball for the Sports International Group in Miami, was the No. 2 overall pick in 1998 and played for 15 seasons in the WNBA. She won a championship with the Sacramento Monarchs was named one of the WNBA’s all-time best players in 2021.

At ODU, she led the Monarchs to a combined 112-17 record, including an appearance in the national championship game against Tennessee in 1997. The former point guard is ODU’s steals leader with 591, but her 939 assists are second to another basketball great, Nancy Lieberman (983).

Clark, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, meanwhile has soaring Indiana Fever on the doorstep of their first WNBA playoff appearance in seven years. They’ve won four of their last five and have already matched their win total from last year (they’re 13-15 overall, good for 7th place) with 12 games to go in the regular season.

Indiana’s next game is on Saturday, August 24 at the Minnesota Lynx.

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