Caitlin Clark finishes with 24 points and a WNBA single-game record of 19 assists in the Fever’s 101-93 loss to the Wings. (1:44)
ARLINGTON, Texas — Indiana rookie Caitlin Clark broke the WNBA record for assists in a game Wednesday night, finishing with 19 in the Fever’s 101-93 loss to the Dallas Wings.
The previous record was 18 by Courtney Vandersloot for Chicago on Aug. 31, 2020. Vandersloot also had 18 in a playoff game on Sept. 28, 2021.
And the league’s previous record for assists by a rookie was 16, set by Ticha Penicheiro for Sacramento on July 29, 1998.
The record-breaker for Clark came on a play where she set Kelsey Mitchell up for a 3-pointer with 2:22 remaining. That tied it at 93, but Dallas closed with an 8-0 run.
Scored or assisted on 66 points (WNBA single-game record), 71% of the Fever’s points (previous record: 65 points by Diana Taurasi on Aug. 10, 2006)
3rd game with 20+ points and 10+ assists, all other rookies have combined for one such game in league history (Angel McCoughtry in 2009)
2nd instance in league history with 20+ points and 15+ assists (2018 Courtney Vandersloot)
213 assists this season, 2nd-most by a rookie in league history (1998 Ticha Penicheiro: 225)
2nd rookie in WNBA history to score or assist on 50+ points in multiple games (2008 Candace Parker)
— ESPN Stats & Information
Odyssey Sims and Arike Ogunbowale each had 24 points for Dallas. Aliyah Boston had 28 points for Indiana, while Clark had 24 on 10-for-19 shooting.
Clark scored or assisted on 66 points for the Fever, the most in a game in WNBA history. That surpassed a 65-point effort from Diana Taurasi on Aug. 10, 2006.
Clark is averaging 17.1 points and a WNBA-leading 8.2 assists this season. She’s been on an assist tear in her past nine games, averaging 11.9 over that stretch. She is the second rookie in WNBA history to score or assist on 50 or more points in multiple games, joining Candace Parker in 2008.
Clark is the first rookie and ninth player overall in WNBA history with at least 400 points and 200 assists in a season. Chelsea Gray has three such seasons, Alyssa Thomas has two and six other players — Sue Bird, Jordin Canada, Natasha Cloud, Sabrina Ionescu, Courtney Williams and Vandersloot — have done it once.
Following her record-breaking performance, Clark went from -1000 to -2000 odds for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors at ESPN BET, while the Sky’s Angel Reese moved from +500 to +600.
ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.