Caitlin Clark becomes first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double as Fever surge back to beat Liberty
Caitlin Clark becomes first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double as Fever surge back to beat Liberty, Caitlin Clark put up a historic stat line as the Indiana Fever earn a big win against the New York Liberty on Saturday. The Fever overcame a large second-half deficit to take a 83-78 victory in front of an electric crowd at home.
After the Fever started the game with a dominant run, the Liberty bounced back, outscoring Indiana in the second and third quarters. New York led by as many as 11 points early in the fourth quarter. However, the Fever pushed back, outscoring the Liberty 28-16 in the final frame to take the comeback win.
Indiana's comeback win was fueled in part by Clark's historic performance: The rookie guard put up 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double. Clark's stat line also makes her the first Indiana Fever player to record a triple-double. Her total rebounds and assists also ties her career high.
Caitlin Clark records the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA History and the first triple-double in Indiana Fever history!
Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu led both teams with 22 points, while teammate Betnijah Laney-Hamilton tied her career high with 20 points. On the Fever side, however, four of the starters put up double digits, with Aliyah Boston scoring 18, Kelsey Mitchell scoring 14 and NaLyssa Smith chipping in 12 behind Clark's 19.
Clark spoke about the milestone in a postgame press conference, sharing the credit for the game with her team.
"I'm just happy we won. I take a lot of pride in being able to do a lot of different things for this team," Clark said. "Obviously 13 assists, that means my teammates made 13 shots off my passes, so that goes to them."
The response prompted Boston to joke about her teammate's modesty. "She's so humble, isn't she?" Boston quipped. "That's very cool, Caitlin. Great job, sister."
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