Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark made WNBA postseason history Tuesday, becoming the first player to record a points-assists double-double before halftime of a playoff game. The Fever won 99-89 to avoid elimination Tuesday and force a deciding Game 3 on Thursday.
Clark finished with 27 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds before fouling out with 2:45 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Fever leading 92-83. Clark become the first player in WNBA history to score at least 25 points and record 15 assists in a game (regular season or playoffs).
Jackie Young led the Aces with 31 points. Las Vegas’ A’Ja Wilson, who scored 22, received a technical foul in the fourth quarter for an interaction with a fan. OutKick will have a story on the incident as more information is gathered.
Facing elimination in Game 2 against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, Clark put on a clinic, leading a wild turnaround after a second-quarter technical foul to give Indiana a big lead at the break.
Frustrated with the officiating following an apparent flop by Aces guard Mai Yamamoto amid heavy physical pressure, Clark picked up a technical foul late in the frame.
Poking the bear backfired for the Aces.
As the floor general, Clark channeled that fire immediately into a furious 24-6 surge, leading a Fever attack that forced eight second-quarter turnovers and outscored the Aces 30-17 in the frame to grab a 48-43 halftime lead.
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Clark posted 14 points and 11 assists in just 19 minutes, dishing 11 of Indiana’s 13 team assists while feeding Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston for 30 first-half points in the paint.
The third-year Fever sensation is following up a regular season where she earned AP Comeback Player of the Year and First Team All-WNBA honors, becoming the first player in league history to stack 800-plus points and 300-plus assists in a single campaign.
CAITLIN CLARK RETURNS AFTER FIBA TITLE AS KELSEY MITCHELL SETS WNBA SCORING MARK IN FEVER VICTORY OVER TEMPO
As she hunts her first WNBA playoff series victory, Clark’s historic half proved once again that when the pressure cooks she owns the moment.
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