Caitlin Clark Notches Historic Triple-Double As The Indiana Fever Heat Up
Caitlin Clark makes WNBA history en route to an impressive come-from-behind victory for the Indiana Fever.
Caitlin Clark And The Indiana Fever Take Down The First-Place Liberty
The Indiana Fever rallied against the New York Liberty for their ninth victory behind Caitlin Clark's historic triple-double in a thrilling showdown on Saturday.
For Caitlin Clark specifically, her historic performance carries heavy weight in the WNBA Rookie of the Year award race. Less than 24 hours before Indiana faced off against New York, Clark's rival rookie, Angel Reese, had an incredible game, notching another double-double with 27 points and ten rebounds to secure Chicago's victory over the Seattle Storm. With Reese's impressive performance sparking significant discussion about who will be crowned as the top rookie at this season's end, all eyes were on Clark to answer the call against the first-place team in the league. A call that was answered in incredible fashion.
Caitlin Clark responded by becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double after securing her tenth rebound just barely into the fourth quarter of the contest. The first-overall pick finished with 19 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds, along with a pair of steals in the victory.
This victory could be chopped up for the Fever as their most impressive one yet. They started hot until the Liberty stole control of the game and had Indiana playing from behind in the fourth quarter. After being outscored 44-31 in the second and third quarters, Clark and Indiana rallied to outscore New York 28-16 in the final frame to secure a comeback victory at home.
Aside from Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and NaLyssa Smith were also instrumental in the game's results. Boston finished with 18 points and eight rebounds while shooting an efficient 8-12 clip from the floor, and Smith finished with a double-double herself, with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Smith was battling on the offensive boards late in the game, which gave the Fever life to finish their comeback effort. She tallied four offensive rebounds and a game-high plus-minus rating of +22. Lexie Hull is also worth mentioning, as she had a couple of crucial layups, one of which came off her clutch offensive rebound late in the game.
New York entered this contest with a 17-3 record, their best 20-game start to a season in franchise history. For Indiana's young group to come out of this game victorious in clutch fashion, they continue to show their resilience and improving chemistry. Last week, they came from behind to defeat an experienced Mercury team and now took down the reigning league MVP, Breanna Stewart, led by the rising stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.
If Indiana can continue to build their chemistry and solidify their lineup combinations, the Fever could be a sneaky opponent in the playoffs if they make it. The future is looking bright in Indiana, and these ladies have been playing very high-level basketball for the past month, winning eight of their last 13 games after starting the season with a 1-8 record. They now sit with a 9-12 record after Saturday's victory. Aliyah Boston has settled in, Caitlin Clark's case for rookie of the year keeps improving, the team has adjusted to Clark's pace of play, and Indiana Fever stock is rising by the day.
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