"Angel Reese will never": Caitlin Clark stuns WNBA fans with record-setting triple-double outing against Liberty

When the Indiana Fever selected Caitlin Clark first in the 2024 WNBA Draft, almost everyone knew she was going to do great things for the franchise. While she was playing great so far in the season, there wasn’t a performance that stood out as extraordinary. That was until Saturday against the New York Liberty.

Indiana hosted New York at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for their fourth and final game of the season series. The Fever had lost the previous three games, but that didn’t deter Clark and Co., as the team marched to an 83-78 win to end the Liberty’s five-game win streak. And who was the architect of the win? Who else but Caitlin Clark.

The Iowa Hawkeyes standout recorded a 19-point, 13-assist and 12-rebound triple-double. It was a record-breaking feat, as it was the first-ever triple-double by a WNBA rookie. It was also a first for the franchise.

As expected, fans had a field day praising Clark. And that mostly meant making comparisons to the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese.

A fan wrote:

“Angel Reese will never”

Another fan took a shot at Reese’s recent double-double where she was accused of intentionally missing shots to increase her rebounding numbers:

“10 real rebounds not playing volleyball with yourself after missing 9 layups in a row”

Here are a few more reactions praising Caitlin Clark.

“ROTY. Face of the League,” a fan said.

“She did this against the best team in the league,” another fan said.

“By far the best rookie in WNBA history. This comparison with Reese is absurd,” another added.

A fan was sure to point out her absence from the US Olympic team:

“They still cool with the Olympic roster decision?”

With her first triple-double now in the books, expect Clark to only get stronger from here on.

What does the record-setting triple-double by Caitlin Clark mean to the Fever?

Very few moments in WNBA history are etched in the pages of basketball folklore. For long, the league has been criticized for being an inferior product in comparison to the NBA. But that notion is no longer true. The league is changing and it's evident by the rising numbers in arenas.

The Indiana Fever won a championship in 2012 but the franchise never had a player record a triple-double in its colors before. Clark's feat must surely mean a lot for the rebuilding franchise.

With fans already swarming Indiana's games to get a glimpse of Caitlin Clark, this is only going to add to the popularity of the Fever and the league.

Triple-doubles are rare to come by in any level of the game, be it AAU or the professional leagues. What Clark achieved Saturday is monumental and this could very well be the beginning of a triple-double onslaught from one of the best shooters the game has ever seen.