Caitlin Clark in red Fever jersey #22 shooting over a Seattle Storm defender during a WNBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY

Caitlin Clark Just Did Something No One in WNBA History Has Ever Done

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What a historic night for the WNBA.

Caitlin Clark dropped 45 points on the Seattle Storm on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the most any Indiana player has ever scored in a regular-season game. The old mark was 38, set twice by teammate Kelsey Mitchell.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (#8) in a red Indy jersey looking up with a grimace during a WNBA game.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (No. 8) looks skyward with a frustrated expression during the second half against the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on July 17, 2026. Photo by Jeffrey Brown / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

She did it a night after playing through a knee-to-the-quad contusion in a loss to Golden State, a hit she says never got a whistle. That no-call landed in a season where teammate Sophie Cunningham has publicly said the WNBA and its refs “do absolutely nothing to protect” Clark from the cheap shots she’s absorbed game after game.

Indiana Fever's Lexie Hull (#10) leaps and loses the ball while defended by Seattle Storm's Natisha Hiedeman (#2) during a WNBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Lexie Hull (#10) of the Indiana Fever loses the ball while going up against Seattle Storm guard Natisha Hiedeman (#2) during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 17, 2026. Photo by Michael Hickey / Getty Images.

She shot 11-of-18 from the field, 6-of-10 from three, and 17-of-19 from the line, adding 10 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in a 110-107 comeback win.

The double-double made her the first player in WNBA history with 40 points and 10 assists in the same game. It was her third 30-and-10 game this season and the fourth of her career. No other player in league history has more than one.

Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever wrestles a loose basketball away from Dominique Malonga #14 of the Seattle Storm on the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Caitlin Clark (#22) battles Dominique Malonga (#14) for a loose ball during the second half of the Indiana Fever’s home game against the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 17, 2026. Photo by Michael Hickey / Getty Images.

She also became the fastest to 200 career threes, reaching the mark in her 74th game. She’s just the 11th player ever to score 45 in a WNBA game.

The fourth quarter was hers. With the score tied at 102, she fed Monique Billings for an and-1, then buried a 25-foot stepback three, her sixth of the night, to take the lead with 39.1 seconds left. Moments later she chased down Flau’jae Johnson and blocked her go-ahead layup.

Clark refused to sit. “There was no way I was ever coming out of the game in the fourth quarter,” she said. “It didn’t matter (what happened). I would play with one leg.”

Caitlin Clark (22) of the Indiana Fever attempting a basket at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
Caitlin Clark goes up for a basket at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis during the Fever’s July 17, 2026 home game. Photo by Grace Smith / IndyStar / USA TODAY.

Coach Stephanie White’s reaction to the box score was two words: “Holy s—!” Teammate Makayla Timpson called it “just greatness.” Clark waved off the records: “I don’t really care.”

Mitchell added 30 of her own, making her and Clark the first WNBA teammates to post a 40-point and 30-point game in the same contest.

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About the author

January Nelson

January Nelson

January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.