Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark broke another WNBA record Thursday night, though her milestone was met with a hostile crowd and a feisty opponent determined to spoil the team's night.
Clark became the fastest player in league history to reach 500 career assists, hitting the mark in just 59 games and claiming the top spot on the all-time assists-per-game leaderboard. The Fever star reached the milestone 23 games faster than Sue Bird, who previously held the record at 82 games.
It's no surprise considering Clark's exceptional vision.
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Sadly for her, the effort was not enough to secure a win, as the Golden State Valkyries walked away with a 90-88 victory at Chase Center. While Clark finished with 16 points and six rebounds, she struggled from the floor, shooting 3 of 12.
Golden State swarmed her on the perimeter, forced key turnovers and answered every Indiana run to close out the two-point win.
Tension between the teams Thursday night was fueled by a recent rivalry that peaked during a May 22 matchup.
In that game, Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes clashed with Clark and was later caught on a hot mic complaining that officials were favoring the Fever star.
Clark downplayed any lingering tension after Thursday's game.
"I don't have any bad blood with any sort of players in this league, like it's just a competitive fire, that's competitive fire," Clark said.
A SCREENSHOT HAS WNBA FANS ASKING: DID A PLAYER ENDORSE A THREAT TOWARDS CAITLIN CLARK?
Hayes openly grumbled about what she viewed as a double standard in how Clark is officiated.
The Valkyries guard also drew heavy criticism after interacting with hostile social media posts targeting Clark, including an exchange in which she appeared to laugh at a fan suggesting a physical threat against her.
Clark's fans wanted disciplinary action from a league office that critics say routinely looks the other way when tensions involving Clark boil over. Regardless, the Bay Area crowd booed Clark nearly every time she touched the ball in the rematch, underscoring how her stardom has made her Public Enemy No. 1 among opposing fan bases.
The Valkyries relished the win, raining on Clark's parade, though she'll have plenty of records left to break.
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