Caitlin Clark is having a historic season in the WNBA and has also elevated the Indiana Fever to new heights.
The dynamic guard from Iowa broke the league’s scoring record with 761 points in 39 games, surpassing the previous mark set by Seimone Augustus, who scored 744 points in 34 games in 2006. Clark also has set the WNBA single-season assist record with 329 as of Sunday.
With Clark running the backcourt, the Indiana Fever clinched the sixth seed in the WNBA playoffs and will play third-seeded Connecticut Sun in the first round. Indiana is in the postseason for the first time since 2016.
Clark now has her sights on a WNBA title.
“We are just not happy to be there,” Clark said about the playoffs at the postgame news conference after a 110–109 victory over the Dallas Wings on Sunday. “We really feel that we can compete with every single team that is in the playoffs. The only team we didn’t beat this year was the [Las Vegas] Aces. I think the way it’s going to work out—the only way we would see them—is in the finals. That would be a huge accomplishment for our group if we were able to beat them once.”
Clark finished with the highest career scoring average (28.42) in Division I history, surpassing Patricia Hoskins of Mississippi Valley State. The Hawkeyes retired her No. 22 jersey number, making her the third player in program history to receive that honor.
Clark was the number-one pick in this year’s draft, and she has been a boon to the league in terms of attendance and TV ratings. The Fever set the WNBA attendance record with more than 300,000 fans with Clark in the lineup this season.
“I have always been a huge fan of basketball,” Clark said on Sunday. “I’ve always watched it. I’ve always loved playing it. I think that’s the best way to learn—to watch it, to just be around it all the time. That’s where my IQ of the game comes from.”
“She is doing incredible things,” Indiana coach Christie Sides said in her postgame news conference following the victory over Dallas. “She is now the highest rookie point-scorer ever. She is just special, and [her teammates] know her passion.”
Despite breaking several records in her rookie year, Clark is most excited about the upcoming playoffs. However, the Fever still has one regular season game at Washington on Thursday, and the stakes are still high for the Mystics, so Clark is not looking past them.
“You go into the Washington game and we still expect to win that too,” Clark said on Sunday. “Washington is going to be fighting for that last playoff spot, too. Our goal has been one [game] at a time. I think we have done a really good job with that, but at the same time, everyone is excited for the playoffs. We haven’t been there since 2016. So, we are going to do everything we can to get it back here so our fans can cheer us on and have a little taste of playoff basketball as well.”
