Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark gets WNBA's first triple-double by a rookie
INDIANAPOLIS -- Caitlin Clark is making more history.
With her 10th rebound in the fourth quarter Saturday against the New York Liberty, Clark hit double-figures in all three major statistical categories with 15 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds. She is the first WNBA rookie and Fever player to accomplish the feat.
The Indiana Fever crowd knew it immediately, even if Clark herself didn't.
"I think everybody was a little confused as to why they were going to so nuts over rebound," Clark said, laughing "I mean, they can do that every time, but this was a little different."
A standing ovation from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd for Clark’s triple-double: pic.twitter.com/uM5pWYhBSV
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) July 6, 2024
The Fever rookie has gotten close to a triple-double before: she finished Indiana's win against Phoenix with 15 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists, but she couldn't grab the final rebound as she left the game in the final seconds.
This time, she made sure it wasn't left to chance.
Clark got off to a hot start on Saturday, with 13 points, five rebounds, and seven assists by halftime. She got to the points-assists double-double mark by the end of the third quarter, and only needed three rebounds for a triple-double. She got those in the first four minutes of the first quarter.
Then, as Lexie Hull was shooting free throws in the next possession, she was trying to quiet down the crowd.
"I was trying to get the crowd to be quiet," Clark said. "(Hull) was shooting a free throw and I was like, I appreciate it but I was just trying to get them to be quiet, but obviously it's really cool. I mean, my teammates been finishing the ball really, really high rate, My assist numbers, that's because of them."
Caitlin Clark pulls down the rebound to secure the first triple-double by a rookie in @WNBA history 👏
15 PTS
11 AST
10 REB pic.twitter.com/9S0wy9O9Fi— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) July 6, 2024
Clark had 17 triple-doubles in college, which was second to just Sabrina Ionescu (who was on the other side of the floor on Saturday afternoon). Ionescu did not record a triple-double in her rookie season in the WNBA, but has in subsequent seasons.
TRIPLE DOUBLEEEE🔥🔥 as you should @CaitlinClark22 great fever dubbb https://t.co/89JFkvlU6o
— Aliyah A. Boston (@aa_boston) July 6, 2024
The Fever won the game, 83-78. Clark finished with 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds.
"Caitlin with her first triple-double tonight, oh my gosh, that's incredible," head coach Christie Sides said. " First by a rookie in league history, first in Fever history, we just keep growing."
the team celebrated Caitlin Clark's historic triple-double in the locker room after the dub over New York 😤 pic.twitter.com/HyKwOoe2Rj
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) July 6, 2024
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever's Caitlin Clark gets WNBA's first triple-double by a rookie