“We are so back!” Even the Indiana Fever could not stop from bragging about their third consecutive win over the Phoenix Mercury. Indeed, what a game it was! From the start to the finish, the sold-out Gainbridge Fieldhouse was filled with ecstatic energy. One of the main reasons for that was the home team winning. And the primary force carrying them was Caitlin Clark! The rookie builds her ROTY case stronger by the day while Angel Reese misses out on the opportunity.

In tonight’s game, Caitlin Clark handled the reins of the team’s offense from the very beginning. Although she missed her very first shot from the deep, she soon began what she does best– dishing out assists. Soon, it was the pick-and-roll action between the team and the rookie that we had all begun to love. Tonight, the Fever was ahead of the visitors by as much as 28 points.

However, Kahleah Copper returned the favor and brought the Mercury back into the game. Along with Natasha Cloud and Diana Taurasi, the trio built 67 of the team’s 89 points. Brittney Griner’s defensive work in the game was also complementary to Mercury’s one and only lead in the entire game, with 2:42 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Nevertheless, that did not last very long. Lexie Hull’s three-pointer, which returned the lead to Indiana, was the last time they looked back. The points quickly escalated for the Fever while Phoenix did not have any answer to Caitlin Clark’s threes and assists. Surely, after their bad beginning of the season, the Fever has found its strength. They are now just two games away from taking over the sixth spot in the playoff contention. At the forefront of it all is their first overall pick.

Caitlin Clark’s electric performance puts her way ahead of the rookie class

The first-overall pick has maintained her stance of being at the top of everything she does. Whether it was her ranking in the draft or in most of the stats against the rookies, she is leading them all. As for the Rookie of the Year race as well, she has been the frontrunner. Although Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky has also given her quite a competition. Still, Reese’s 18th double-double was simply not enough to eclipse what Caitlin Clark does with her team.

Tonight, the rookie wrapped up the Fever-Mercury series with a 3-0 record. The franchise achieved this feat for the very first time in its history to consecutively get the better of the seasoned team. In the brilliant victory, which saw the team make a comeback and win by 17 points, Caitlin Clark had 29 points and 10 assists. She also grabbed 5 rebounds. Hence, with her contributions, the Fever made 56 points tonight. This makes up 57% of the team’s total points in the win.

If that was not enough, she became the only rookie to log 450+ points & 200+ assists. On top of that, she is the only WNBA player to collect these numbers in a single season. Not to mention, Indiana still has to play 13 games this season. Moreover, with the playoff mission continuing at full strength, she may have more games on her hands. She can very well use those to create and break many more records. To top it all off, Caitlin Clark is only 2 assists away from surpassing Ticha Penicheiro for most assists by a rookie. Also, she is just one double-double away from tying with Courtney Vandersloot of the New York Liberty for most double-doubles by a guard in the WNBA.

After all of this, her closest rival for the Rookie of the Year award is on high alert.

Comparing the numbers for the top 2 ROTY contenders

Everyone knew the effect that Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark would have on the WNBA. However, most people, like Sheryl Swoopes, had doubts about when the impact would really start. Surely, no one thought that these two would be meteors hitting the basketball world. Currently, their rivalry is leading the headlines whenever their name is mentioned.

Currently, Reese is leading the league in rebounds per game with 12 rebounds. She had 15 rebounds and a franchise record to seal her spot at the top over A’ja Wilson in her very first game against the Mercury after the break. In the rookies, she is second in scoring with 13.4 ppg and in steals with 1.4 per game.

On the other hand, Caitlin Clark is leading the rookies with 17.6 points per game and 1.4 steals. Additionally, she is leading the league in assists with 8.3 deliveries on average. The rookie is also at the throne when it comes to points created for the team as her ppg and apg both shine brightly among the rest of the stats.

It will be interesting to see how these two rookies continue to build their ROTY cases as the season continues. Surely, the break was refreshing and healing for Caitlin Clark, while Reese still needs to make a comeback that shocks the world. As for now, the Indiana Fever has achieved what it wanted to—show the league that they are here to stay.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.