Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark leads the WNBA with 8.2 assists per game this season. File Photo by Corey Sipkin/UPI | License Photo
Caitlin Clark registered a WNBA-record 19 assists, but also totaled a game-high six turnovers as the Indiana Fever lost to the Dallas Wings to drop to 11-15 on the season.
The Fever rookie guard totaled 24 points and six rebounds, in addition to her record passing effort, in the 101-93 setback Wednesday in Arlington, Texas. Advertisement
“Offensively, we were able to get whatever we wanted all night it felt like,” Clark told reporters. “It was just our defense.
“We gave up 28 points off turnovers, I think 20 of those were in the first half. So that really kills you to start the game, and just got to do a better job taking care of the ball. You give up 100-plus points, you’re not going to win very many games.”
The Wings scored 28 points off turnovers and outscored their foes 22-14 off fast breaks. Wings guards Odyssey Sims and Arike Ogunbowale scored 24 points apiece in the win.
Clark, who ranks 15th in the league with 17.1 points per game, leads the WNBA with 8.2 assists per appearance. Her 145 turnovers this season are a WNBA record. Advertisement
“She has the ability and her vision to see things, and we’re just getting better and better as we play with her to be on the same page with her,” Fever coach Christie Sides said.
“I know she’s not hitting the shots she wants to hit. She’s really down on herself about not making some shots she would normally hit, but 19 assists is incredible. That’s incredible.”
Clark’s 213 assists on the season are the second-most by a rookie in WNBA history, trailing only Ticha Penicheiro, who logged 225 in 1998.
The Fever now sit in the No. 7 spot in the WNBA standings. The Top 8 teams at the end of the season will qualify for the playoffs.
The Fever and Wings will now break for the WNBA All-Star Game and 2024 Summer Games. The Fever will host the Phoenix Mercury (13-12) at 7:30 p.m. EDT Aug. 16 in Phoenix. The Wings (6-19) will host the Connecticut Sun (18-6) at 9:30 p.m. Aug. 16 in Arlington.
