Caitlin Clark (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Indiana Fever star rookie Caitlin Clark enjoyed another win over Diana Taurasi’s Phoenix Mercury on Friday night with a 20-point, 13-assist performance.

The stat line marked a fifth double-double for the former Iowa guard, who was one assist away from setting a new franchise record.

It appears she tried to get it, too, as she swung a pass to teammate Aliyah Boston at the end of the fourth quarter.  Given that Indiana was up by nine points with the clock running out, the decision prompted criticism, with one fan claiming Clark was “trying to stat pad for an assist record.”

Boston missed the jumper, in any case.

Fans wasted no time jumping to Caitlin’s defense, with one pointing out that she already holds the Fever’s record for most assists in a single game.

“What record ? BREAKING A RECORD SHE ALREADY HOLDS ?” they wrote.

“So….she either avoids the shot clock violation, gets the turnover, and you come at her for that OR she passes to AVOID the turnover, to which she’s now stat padding,” another claimed.

“Please explain to me how a stat that requires 2 people to get can be blamed on one person?” a user inquired.

“It’s okay to stat pad when you’re trying to make history. Caitlin Clark almost had it!” said another, clearly favoring the attempt to lengthen the record, if that’s what she was going for.

The Accolades Keep Rolling In For Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark and the Fever are scheduled to play the Minnesota Lynx this Sunday.

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old enjoyed some novel accomplishments, having received two ESPYs on Thursday night. Clark was nominated for three awards, winning a pair of them as she was determined to have been the Best College Women’s Athlete in 2023, also winning the award for Best Record-Breaking Performance.

The rookie has also been named an All-Star in her first professional season and will play alongside rival Angel Reese for the first time in an attempt to topple the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team.