Caitlin Clark’s assisting ways have set her a handful of WNBA records — despite it being just her first year — heading into the league’s three-week break for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
In the Fever’s final game on July 17 before the hiatus, although falling to the Dallas Wings, 101-93, Clark’s stellar 19 assists set the WNBA record for assists in a game.
Mixed in with her 24 points — on 10-of-19 from the field, 2-of-9 from deep, and 2-of-3 from the free throw line — Clark also broke the league’s record for points created: She scored or assisted on 66 of the team’s 93 that night.
With the loss, the Fever fell to 11-15 overall. Clark and Co.’s season will resume on Aug. 16 against the Phoenix Mercury.
But she got another shot on the court on July 20, representing Team WNBA in a unique format to the WNBA All-Star Game in which it matched up against Team USA, the latter comprising the squad traveling to Paris for the Olympics shortly and former comprising the league’s best players who didn’t make the Olympic team.
Clark started at the point guard position, becoming just the seventh rookie in league history to start the WNBA All-Star Game. And Team WNBA won, 117-109.
Clark logged 26 minutes, scoring just four points on 2-9 from the field and 0-for-7 from three with one rebound and two steals. But her 10 assists hit another impressive milestone for the West Des Moines local, marking the most ever by a rookie in a WNBA All-Star Game.
Aces stall
While the Hawkeyes on the Las Vegas Aces — Megan Gustafson and Kate Martin — missed out on any participation in the WNBA All-Star Game, they did see some minutes in the Aces’ final game before the break. But neither made a massive impact.
Gustafson scored three points on one made three with one block in 11 minutes on the floor, and Martin played just two minutes, not attempting a shot and only grabbing one rebound.
The contest, which was against the Chicago Sky on July 16, resulted in a 93-85 loss. The Aces thus fell to 16-8 overall, their next game now coming on Aug. 17 against the New York Liberty — a highly anticipated contest between two championship contenders.