Caitlin Clark outshines Angel Reese in clash of WNBA's top rookies

Clark tallied a career-high 31 points along with 12 assists and four rebounds in the win, shooting 8-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. The All-Star posted at least 20 points and 10 assists for the fifth time, passing Courtney Vandersloot (2017) for the most by a player in a single season, rookie or not, per Stathead.

Meanwhile, Clark recorded yet another WNBA first. Before Friday, no one in the league's history had produced a stat line of 30 or more points and 12-plus assists in a game, as Adam Jacobi of the Hawkeye Beacon pointed out.

On the other side of the best-rookie race, Reese registered her 23rd double-double of the year, finishing with 11 rebounds and 10 points in the loss. However, the Sky star struggled for most of the evening.

Reese had only six rebounds and four points (2-of-5) at the break. Meanwhile, nearly half of her production (five points, four rebounds) came in the fourth quarter when the Fever had already gained a double-digit lead.

Friday was the fourth and final meeting of the 2024 campaign for the Fever and Sky. The two squads split the season series 2-2, but Clark averaged 20.5 points and 10 assists, getting the better of Reese, who notched 13.5 points and 13.2 rebounds.

Though, for Clark and Reese, individual awards aren't the priority.

"Both of our teams are competing for playoff spots, that's our main focus," Clark told reporters via Chloe Peterson of the Indy Star. "That's a selfish thing to care about individual awards and she'd give you the same exact answer."

Conversely, Reese stated that neither she nor Clark "care about the Rookie of the Year."

"We're just trying to do whatever it takes to win," Reese said via Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. "That's what's important right now."

The Sky have dropped five straight and are precariously holding onto the last available postseason berth. Chicago (11-20) is in a dogfight with nine games remaining, battling the Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings, who sit 2.5 games or fewer out of the No. 8 seed.

Meanwhile, following the Fever's victory on Friday, Clark and Co. are a little bit closer to nailing down one of the final spots in the WNBA playoffs. With eight games left, Indiana (16-16) holds the No. 6 seed over the Phoenix Mercury (16-16), having already sewn up the season series (3-0) while gaining a 4.5-game advantage over the Sky.