INDIANAPOLIS -- Caitlin Clark was in big trouble for a moment on an evening where she dominated the record books.
The Indiana Fever star had saved a turnover and was scrambling back towards halfcourt as the shot clock ticked away with less than a minute left in a tied game against the Seattle Storm. Then she drove left, stopped on a dime and gave a quick sidestep to shake loose of Flau'jae Johnson.
With just a breath of space and 39.1 seconds left, Clark elevated from 26 feet away and hit nothing but twine. She turned with a flex, stuck out her tongue and let loose an expletive as the crowd erupted into a fit of glee. The Fever never trailed again as they won 110-107 and Clark became the first player in WNBA history with 45 points and 10 assists.
"Some nights, like, you know you have it - even before the ball tips," Clark said. "I felt like it was going to be one of those for me.
"I feel like you just have to believe you're going to have those type of nights, and you have to visualize having those types of nights. And I feel like that's what I did."
The accomplishments piled up on this particular Friday night. Forty-five points set a new franchise record as she became the first player in league history to do so in fewer than 30 minutes. With six 3-pointers, Clark became the fastest player to reach 200 3-point field goals (74 games). It was her fourth game with 30 points and 10 assists - there are only four other instances in league history.
Early on, Clark attacked the basket repeatedly and she ended the day 17-for-19 from the free-throw line. When the defense began to guard for the drives, that's when the 3-point line opened up.
The performance wasn't just an offensive masterpiece, Clark also had four steals and two blocks. The last block came after Johnson stole the ball and went the other way for a layup, but Clark sprinted back to make the defensive play. That set up the go-ahead triple with 39.1 seconds left.
"Just greatness right here, man" said Fever center Makayla Timpson, who started for the injured Aliyah Boston (right lower leg). "She does some crazy stuff out there on the court, man."
Clark scored 16 points in the fourth after the Storm led 88-82 after three quarters. The night was already special when Clark bullied Jade Melbourne with a forearm shiver and stepped back for another trey from 32 feet to set a new career high at 38 points and cut the lead to one. All of this while on a minutes restriction from a back injury that kept her to an average of 25 minutes the previous two games. The was no way she was coming out down the stretch, she said.
"Steph knows better than that," Clark said of Fever coach Stephanie White, as a toothy smirk crept across her face. "Trainers know better than that. ... Didn't matter, I would play with one leg."
Clark wasn't the only one with a fantastic offensive evening. Fellow all-star starter Kelsey Mitchell scored 17 in the first quarter and finished with 30, her franchise-record ninth consecutive game with 20-plus points. She's the ninth player in league history with nine straight. The backcourt duo became the first teammates in WNBA history to score 40 and 30 in the same game.
Dominique Malonga had 28 points, the second-most in her career, and 14 rebounds as the Storm set a franchise record for points scored in a regulation loss. Teammate Awa Fam posted 16 points and nine rebounds as she started 4 for 4 from behind the arc. She became the youngest player in league history to hit four three-point baskets in a single quarter.
Defense, quite frankly, was an afterthought inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Storm outscored the Fever 32-23 in the third quarter to take their first lead since midway through the first quarter. They shot 56.6% from the field, but couldn't get the stops to end the Fever rally. And no one had an answer for Clark on a day she knew would be a good one before she even stepped on the court.
"It's incredible," White said. "I mean, it's special. She does things that that we haven't seen. She had a lot of bounce early. You could tell she was she was feeling better. She was feeling good, and in the moment, sometimes it's surreal to see.
"I look down at the stat sheet at the end of the game, and it's like, holy s--t, 45 and 10."
Clark said she intends to play Saturday in the second night of a back-to-back against the Liberty. The medical staff will surely pay attention to how her body responds to Friday night's effort, but there's extra weight on a game featuring two teams with championship aspirations that currently sit in the No. 6 and No. 7 slots in the standings. Boston is expected to return.
"I still feel like I can play better," Clark said. "It's one of the hardest things, coming back from injury and being out of the groove and having time off. You just have to kind of continue to believe in yourself and believe in the work you put in. This is great, but we have another really difficult test tomorrow, so gotta get ready for that."