INDIANAPOLIS — The stat sheet made it sink in. Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White knew she’d witnessed an exceptional performance from Caitlin Clark in Friday’s 110-107 victory over the Seattle Storm, but seeing a regular-season franchise-record 45 points and 10 assists listed next to Clark’s name nearly left her speechless. The totality of Clark’s effort made White react more like a fan than a coach.
“Holy s—!” White said, recalling what first went through her mind after Clark carried the Fever to a come-from-behind win.
Clark on Friday became the first player in WNBA history to record at least 40 points and 10 assists in a game. She completed the feat in just 29 minutes, punctuated by a 25-foot stepback 3 that gave Indiana a late 3-point lead it didn’t relinquish.
“It’s incredible. It’s special,” White said, expanding her thoughts a bit as she reflected. “She does things we haven’t seen.”
Entering Friday’s contest, Clark was supposed to be on a minutes restriction due to a back injury that has plagued her all season. She’d played only about 25 minutes in her previous two contests after a one-game absence because of her back, but with Friday’s game hanging in the balance, there was never a conversation about Clark leaving prematurely. She wouldn’t allow it.
“Steph knows better than that,” Clark, through a wry smile, said after the game. “The trainers know better than that. They would get an earful. … There was no way I was ever coming out of the game in the fourth quarter. It didn’t matter (what happened). I would play with one leg.”
Caitlin Clark made 11-of-18 shots from the field and 17-of-19 from the free-throw line. (Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
Clark’s hyperbole was fitting after such a herculean outing. The three-time All-Star surpassed teammate Kelsey Mitchell’s regular-season franchise record of 38 points (in 2019 and 2025) and became just the 11th player in WNBA history to score at least 45 points in a game. Friday also marked Clark’s third game this season and fourth of her career with at least 30 points and 10 assists. No other player in WNBA history has more than one in her career.
In the fourth quarter, Clark scored 16 points, 1 shy of her career high in a frame, and dished three assists. She made a bounce pass to Monique Billings for an and-1 layup that tied the score at 102 with 1:11 left, and Clark delivered the go-ahead 3-pointer with 39.1 seconds left, prompting Seattle to call timeout.
As Clark made her way back to the Fever bench, she pointed at her chest and yelled at the crowd. The Fever star had just drilled her sixth 3-pointer, one shy of her career high, and she wanted to savor it. Teammate Makayla Timpson soaked it in, too.
“Just greatness right here,” Timpson said of Clark as she looked at her teammate in their postgame news conference. “Man, she does some crazy stuff out there on the court. Of course, her signature logo 3, the way she can get to shots, and just being able to set her screens to get her open (is a privilege). We trust her so much.”
That trust wasn’t just on the offensive end. With the score 102-102 late in the fourth quarter, Timpson committed a grave turnover when she lofted an errant pass to Clark that was intercepted by Storm guard Flau’jae Johnson. Clark, who committed a foul four seconds into Friday’s game and is often criticized for her defense, was the last Fever player between Johnson and the rim. Clark won the footrace, zooming down the court to not only strip Johnson as she went up for the go-ahead layup, but also knock the ball off her. The play was ruled a block, one of two Clark registered to go along with four steals in what she jokingly called a “pretty rare” defensive showing.
“I just tried to make a couple plays on the ball there at the end (and) came up with a couple steals,” Clark said. “Really, the only time our defense was good was late in the fourth quarter, and I guess that’s when you need it, so I’ll take it.”
Clark’s historic performance came with a laundry list of achievements that the Fever public relations staff read to start the team’s postgame news conference, including that Clark became the fastest player to make 200 3-pointers in WNBA history (74 games). But amid the praise, Clark made sure to commend her teammates, too.
Timpson made her first start Friday, filling in for All-Star center Aliyah Boston, who missed her third game of the season due to a right lower leg injury. Timpson, a second-year pro, totaled 8 points and nine rebounds, including eight offensive boards. She and Billings, who had 16 points and five rebounds, held their own against Storm standout bigs Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam. Malonga scored 28 points and snatched a game-high 14 rebounds. Fam drilled four 3s en route to 16 points and nine boards.
Not to be forgotten, Fever veteran Mitchell scored 17 of her 30 points in the first quarter. The four-time All-Star has scored at least 20 points in nine straight games and extended her Fever record of 10-point games to 40 in succession. Mitchell and Clark also became the first two WNBA teammates to have a 40-point and 30-point outing in the same game.
“You gotta give us credit for the way we were able to fight,” Clark said. “… We always just kept finding a way, and I’m just proud of our group. Obviously, a lot of people stepped up in A.B.’s absence.”
None more than herself.
When Clark was informed of her record-setting performance in her on-court postgame interview, she responded nonchalantly, “I don’t really care.” She later added that the Fever needed to quickly turn the page and prepare for the New York Liberty on the second night of their home back-to-back.
But as Clark ducked out of the postgame media room Friday, treating her historic night like a regular day at the office, there were still a few teammates, staffers and security guards hanging around in the bowels of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Many of them weren’t ready to leave just yet as they basked in the latest chapter of Clark’s brilliance.
“I feel like you just have to believe you’re gonna have those type of nights, and you have to visualize having those type of nights,” Clark said. “… I know all of the time and work that I’ve put it in. People believe in me, and more than anything, I believe in myself.”
