CHICAGO (AP) — Caitlin Clark had a career-high 31 points and 12 assists in her final regular-season matchup with fellow rookie sensation Angel Reese, leading the Indiana Fever to a dominating 100-81 win over the reeling Chicago Sky on Friday night. Clark shot 8 for 14, including 5 for 9 from 3-point range, in her 11th double-double. She is the only player to ever have three games of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in a season.
On the other side, Reese had 10 points and 11 rebounds, breaking a tie with Tina Charles for rookie double-doubles with 23 and passing Sylvia Fowles for the Chicago season record. Reese got the record with 1:32 to play, long after Clark and the other Indiana starters left the game. She also has a rookie record 399 rebounds.
Clark may have slammed the door on the much-hyped Rookie of the Year race as the Fever (16-16) beat the Sky (11-20) for the third time in four matchups, solidifying their probable playoff berth while Chicago is barely hanging on to the last spot as the season winds down. The the first matchups were decided by a total of 10 points with a pair of one-point wins for each team while this one became a blowout. Indiana had a season-high for points and Chicago allowed a season high.
The game drew a sellout crowd of 9,445 to Wintrust Arena on Barbie Night — a nod to Reese's college nickname at LSU, Bayou Barbie. The crowd included NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O'Neal, as well as Sue Bird — who had her own Barbie doll back in her Seatt.