Caitlin Clark scored 24 and set a WNBA single-game record with 19 assists, but the Indiana Fever dropped its final game before the Olympic break, falling 101-93 to the Dallas Wings.
In a chaotic, back-and-forth second half, a 3 from Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale with 44.6 seconds left gave the Wings a 97-93 lead and proved to be the dagger. A turnover by Clark on the following possession — just her fifth of the game — allowed Dallas to stall before Ogunbowale sealed it at the line.
Dallas had built as much as a 16-point lead before Indiana, led by Clark and Aliyah Boston (28 points, eight rebounds), came back. Six Wings scored in double figures, led by Ogunbowale and Odyssey Sims, who both had 24.
For the first 15 minutes Wednesday, Indiana couldn’t hit anything from deep. But Clark — who else? — got them going from beyond the arc, draining her first 3 with 5:19 to play in the second quarter. She reeled off 10 consecutive points in that stretch, and finished the half with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
In the loss, Clark inched closer to another WNBA rookie record.
After handing out 19 assists Wednesday, Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, is now just 13 assists away from breaking the league’s rookie assist record, currently held by four-time WNBA All-Star Ticha Penicheiro, who played 15 seasons in the WNBA.
Penicheiro set the rookie assist record in 1998 with the Sacramento Monarchs, dishing 225 in 30 games, a clip of 7.5 per game. Clark could play 40 games in the 2024 season, and the Fever are on the brink of being a playoff team; that means Clark won’t just break the record, but likely obliterate it.
Clark averaged a whopping 12.5 assists per game throughout July; through the first half of the season she leads the league in the category, averaging 8.2 through 26 games.
Clark now heads to Phoenix for the All-Star game, where the All-Stars will take on the 2024 Olympic team on Saturday, with tip set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
It is the first time since 2014 that two rookies — in this case, Clark and Chicago’s Angel Reese, the No. 7 pick in the draft — will play in the All-Star game. Clark is also expected to participate in Friday’s 3-point shooting contest.
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell