Caitlin Clark, Fever stay hot, take down Angel Reese, Sky - ESPN

CHICAGO — Caitlin Clark had a career-high 31 points and 12 assists in her final regular-season matchup with fellow rookie sensation Angel Reese, leading the Indiana Fever to a dominating 100-81 win over the reeling Chicago Sky on Friday night.

Clark shot 8 for 14 from the field, including 5 for 9 on 3-pointers, in her 11th double-double. She is the only player to have three games of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in a season. And she is the first WNBA player to have four games with 50-plus points scored or assisted on in a single season.

On the other side, Reese had 10 points and 11 rebounds, breaking a tie with Tina Charles for rookie double-doubles with 23 and passing Sylvia Fowles for the Chicago season record. Reese got the record with 1:32 to play, long after Clark and the other Indiana starters left the game. She also has a rookie record 399 rebounds.

Clark might have slammed the door on the much-hyped Rookie of the Year race as the Fever (16-16) beat the Sky (11-20) for the third time in four matchups, solidifying their probable playoff berth while Chicago is barely hanging on to the last spot as the season winds down.

The first matchups were decided by a total of 10 points with a pair of one-point wins for each team, while this one was a blowout. Indiana had a season best for points and Chicago gave up a season high.

«I thought we played really well and this was a big one for us,» Clark said. «It almost counts towards two when you're in a playoff race, like a loss and a win. We knew it was a big one, but also we wanted to win the season series with them. That was kind of a focus point.»

The game drew a sellout crowd of 9,445 to Wintrust Arena on Barbie Night — a nod to Reese's college nickname at LSU, Bayou