Caitlin Clark set a new WNBA game record with 19 assists in the Indiana Fever’s 101-93 defeat to the Dallas Wings on Wednesday night, marking the final game before the league’s month-long break for the Olympics.
Clark surpassed the previous record of 18 assists set by Courtney Vandersloot for Chicago against Indiana on Aug. 31, 2020. Vandersloot also achieved 18 assists in a playoff game on Sept. 28, 2021.
Her record-breaking assist occurred when she set up Kelsey Mitchell for a 3-pointer with 2:22 left in the game, tying the score at 93. However, Dallas finished strong with an 8-0 run to secure the victory.
Odyssey Sims and Arike Ogunbowale each scored 24 points for Dallas (6-19). Natasha Howard contributed 17 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and four steals. This was only the second time this season that the Wings scored over 100 points.
Aliyah Boston led Indiana (11-15) with a career-high 28 points, while Clark herself added 24 points. NaLyssa Smith posted 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Ogunbowale made a crucial shot just before the shot-clock buzzer with 44.6 seconds remaining. She dribbled into the lane, momentarily lost the ball, recovered, and hit a fadeaway jumper to give Dallas a 97-93 lead.
Clark achieved her 14th assist early in the fourth quarter, surpassing her previous career high of 13 assists in a game. She became only the second rookie in WNBA history to exceed 200 assists in a season, following Ticha Penicheiro who had 225 assists in 1998. Clark also broke Penicheiro’s rookie record of 16 assists, which was set on July 29, 1998.
