Caitlin Clark became the first player in WNBA history with at least 40 points and 10 assists, scoring 45 points and handing out 10 assists as the Indiana Fever beat the Seattle Storm 110-107 on Friday, according to league statistics.
Clark also had four steals, including a late takeaway from Seattle’s Flau’Jae Johnson with less than a minute remaining that all but sealed the victory, the Fever said. The 45-point game is the 10th 45-point performance in WNBA history and, according to the league, the highest scoring game by a WNBA point guard or any Indiana player.
The performance came amid a heated national controversy over Clark’s treatment. Clark was struck in the throat by Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas during a June game — an incident Clark has called a clear flagrant foul, she said in her first media scrum since the incident. That episode and subsequent officiating disputes have prompted coverage and criticism, and a group of 11 Republican lawmakers wrote to WNBA leadership seeking accountability, according to news reports. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert drew further attention after she canceled an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” which Patrick publicly criticized.
After the game, Clark told ION in an on-court interview that she “doesn’t really care” about making history and called her team’s defense “embarrassing.” Clark told reporters she refused to come out late despite being on a minutes restriction while recovering from a back injury, saying, “I told Steph at halftime, like, I felt really good and I didn’t want to lose this game. There’s no way I was ever coming out of the game in the fourth quarter. … I would play with one leg.”
The Fever (15-10) are tied with the Atlanta Dream for first place in the Eastern Conference, according to the standings, and are scheduled to host the New York Liberty on Saturday.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
