Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever dispatch Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky in battle between rookie phenoms
By Homero De La Fuente, CNN
(CNN) — Caitlin Clark scored a career-high 31 points to lift the Indiana Fever past Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky 100-81 in a battle between the WNBA rookies on Friday night in Chicago’s Wintrust Arena.
Considered the two front-runners for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, the league’s assist-per-game leader Clark has cemented herself as the favorite since the return from the Olympic break, leading the Fever to five wins in their last six games while setting records along the way.
“I’m just proud of our group. I think we’re really just approaching it day-by-day. Even though these games are so important, we’re not really looking that far down the stretch,” Clark said after the game.
“It’s what’s in front of us today and just approaching it like that and that’s how you build your confidence. It’s just one day at a time, but I think our confidence is at an all-time high where it’s been this all season.”
Clark hit five three pointers and dished 12 assists to become the first rookie in WNBA history to score at least 30 points and 10 assists in a single game. She improved her head-to-head record against Reese in the WNBA to 3-1.
The Fever’s rookie star needs six more points to surpass Tamika Catchings (594) for the most points scored by a rookie in franchise history.
Chicago jumped out to an early 13-point lead in the first quarter before Indiana bounced back to hold a 47-42 lead at halftime. The Fever, however, pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Sky 31-22 in the third quarter to take a 14-point lead heading into the final frame. The fourth quarter was more of the same as the Fever’s lead swelled to as many as 27 points in the victory.
With three weeks left in the regular season, Friday’s win moves Indiana to 16-16 on the season and sixth place in the standings. The turnaround to becoming a playoff contender is impressive considering the Fever opened the season with a 3-10 record, which was the second-worst in the league over that span.
Clark was asked if she had faith the team would turn it around after the rough start to the season, saying, “Yeah, I mean, I certainly did. I remember saying earlier in the season, I know there’s going to be a moment where we look back on this later in the season and be like, this 1-8 start is going to help us down the line, and I think now is that moment.”
Meanwhile, the loss is the Sky’s sixth in their last seven games since returning from the Olympic break, in part due to the team’s offensive struggles, and they find themselves on the verge of falling out of the playoff picture. Chicago sits in eighth place in the standings with an 11-20 record, one game ahead of the Atlanta Dream for the final playoff spot.
Reese, who leads the league in rebounds-per-game, finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds for her 23rd double-double of the season, passing Tina Charles for the most by a rookie in WNBA history.
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