On the same evening, the WNBA saw two historic records fall. The first was set by A'ja Wilson, the first player in history to reach the 1,000-point mark in a season. The second was the work of the championship's new phenomenon, Caitlin Clark. A few hours before Wilson's feat, the Indiana Fever's star guard seized the record for points scored by a rookie this season.
Already the single-season and single-game assists record holder, the Fever guard erased an 18-year-old record by tallying 761 points in 39 games. The previous record belonged to Seimone Augustus, who scored 744 points in 2006, when the regular season was only 34 games long.
19.5 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds on average
As she prepares to enter the Hall Of Fame in three weeks with her four WNBA titles and three Olympic gold medals, Augustus was none other than Clark's idol when she was a kid! “In my father's phone there is a picture of her with me. It may have been on a Blackberry.” remembers the rookie. “It's a memory that's still very present. I was a big fan of his game, and his way of shooting.”
While she averages 19.5 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds, Clark will probably remember this record for a long time since she established it in a hard-fought victory against the Wings (110-109). She took advantage of the evening to establish her new personal record: 35 points! Thanks to this success, the Fever is assured of finishing 6th, and should face the Connecticut Sun in the first round.
The Fever beat everyone except the Aces
“Everyone is excited to play in the playoffs” Clark continues. “We're not just happy to be here. We really believe we can compete with any team.”
This season, the Fever ended an eight-year playoff streak, and Clark's teammates beat every team except one: the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers attempted; LF = Free throws made / Free throws attempted; O = Offensive rebound; D = Defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose balls; Ct: Blocks; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the court; Pts = Points; Eval: Player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
