It didn't take any time for Caitlin Clark to return to form in her first game back from a quad strain that caused her to miss five games. The Indiana Fever guard not only returned to her usual standard of excellence, but also quickly tied a career-high in their matchup against the New York Liberty.
During the Fever's 102-88 win over the Liberty, Clark scored 32 points with eight rebounds and nine assists. She made more than half of her points off of three-pointers, tying her WNBA career-high for most threes made in a single game with seven. She previously scored seven three-pointers in a win over the Washington Mystics last season.
The game additionally marked Clark's first 30+ point performance of the season and the fifth of her young career. Her impressive stat line also marked the third time Clark has recorded at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists, surpassing Candace Parker for the most such games with that stat line by any player in their first two seasons. She is also the only player in WNBA history with at least 32 points, seven made three-pointers, eight rebounds, and nine assists in a single game.
In her first game back from the injury, Clark immediately set the tone as she got off to a hot start. She scored three straight three-pointers for nine points in less than 45 seconds during the first quarter, and racked up 14 points, two assists, and two rebounds in just the first quarter on Saturday. By the end of the first half, she already had 25 points, the most in any half of her career thus far.
Clark's impressive game not only comes off of an injury, but against a Liberty team that is the reigning WNBA champion and was undefeated entering Saturday's matchup. Thanks in large part to Clark's performance, the Fever were able to hand the Liberty their first loss of the season, and drop them to 9-1. Indiana now moves to 5-5 on the season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caitlin Clark Ties Career High Stat In Stunning First Game Back From Injury.
