Last night in just her 26th WNBA game, rookie Caitlin Clark broke the WNBA record for the most assists in a single game, against the Dallas Wings. The previous record was held by Courtney Vandersloot who had an 18 assist game during the 2020 season. This mark has now been surpassed by Clark who had 19 assists accompanied by 24 points in what was one of her best performances to date.
Assists have always been an underrated part of Clark’s game. During her time at Iowa and her short WNBA career, most fans associate Caitlin Clark with deep threes and high-scoring games. Meanwhile, most people may not know that she has the second most assists in the history of women’s collegiate basketball. She had 1,144 assists at the University of Iowa. This puts her just 21 assists under the all-time leader, Andrea Nagy.
As much praise as the Rookie of the Year favorite has received, she is still getting used to being a pro. Turnovers have continued to be an issue for Clark, who averages just under six per contest. Oftentimes it appears as if she is moving too fast for her own good. She is always looking to make the next pass and find the open person who may not even be ready to receive it.
This reigned true yet again when she turned the ball over for the fifth time with under 40 seconds to go. This allowed Dallas to gain possession and call a timeout, all but confirming a Wings victory. Clark was heated heading back to the bench and spiking a water bottle to the ground in frustration. The game ended with the Wings spoiling Clark’s historic night with a 101-93 victory.
