Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark enjoyed another memorable outing on Sunday, on both an individual, team and historic level. The No. 1 overall pick poured in a career-high 35 points as the Fever beat the Dallas Wings, 110-109, to clinch the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, and surpassed Seimone Augustus for the WNBA's rookie scoring record in the process.
Clark was coming off a few tough shooting games against the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces, and when she missed her first three shots of the afternoon, it seemed that trend would continue. The presumptive Rookie of the Year had other ideas. Her next shot was a 3-pointer that went down, and she never looked back.
During her postgame interview, Clark noted that once she saw the ball finally go through the hoop, it got her going. "I still had a few in and outs where I was like, 'Man, how's it not going in,' but I felt like I played a good game," Clark said. "My shot felt good."
Clark's best stretch came mid-way through the fourth quarter, when she ripped off 11 straight for the Fever to turn a tie game into a nine-point lead for the Fever. Back-to-back 3-pointers highlighted that run, and she finished with six triples on the night, which was one shy of her career-high from behind the arc.
The Wings would eventually work their way back into the game, thanks in part to some crucial turnovers by Clark down the stretch, but the rookie did enough to get her team a much-needed win. All told, she either scored or assisted on 19 of the Fever's 26 points in the fourth quarter.
Clark's 35 points are tied for the seventh-most by a rookie all-time, and she's the first one to get to that mark since Chennedy Carter in 2020. Furthermore, Clark is the first rookie ever to have at least 35 points, five assists and five 3-pointers in a game.
With the victory, the Fever reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2015. They had long ago clinched a playoff spot and now know their seed. While their opponent for the best-of-three first-round series is still to be determined, it will most likely be the Connecticut Sun, who went 3-1 against the Fever this season. Three of those wins were during the Fever's brutal 3-10 start, however, and the last game went the Fever's way.
In the unique 2-1 format the WNBA uses for the first round, the higher seed gets the first two games at home, which means if the lower seed can just steal one of those contests, they get to host the deciding Game 3. That would be a dream scenario for the Fever, who set the attendance record this season and are 6-3 at home after the Olympic break.
"I'm really thankful for these fans," Clark said. "It's been a fun season inside here at home and hopefully we can bring the playoffs back here a few times for them as well."