Caitlin Clark Leads Angel Reese in Rookie of the Year Race

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark leads Angel Reese in the race for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors midway through the season, according to a national panel of voters who also rank the AP Power Poll each week.

Clark and Reese have garnered national attention with record-breaking rookie seasons, making them the first rookie duo to make an All-Star team since 2014. It’s no surprise then that they are leading candidates for the award.

Thanks to them, the competition has grown significantly in terms of viewership, attendance and merchandise sales. And with so many basketball games yet to be played, it can be argued that one of them should win the prize.

But halfway through, the 15-member panel gives Clark the upper hand in a 9-5 vote. One person did not vote.

“Today I would say Clark just because they have one more win as a team and they have a 2-1 lead in head-to-head play,” said voter Christy Winters-Scott, a basketball analyst for the Mystics. “That could obviously change as the WNBA season progresses. It’s been a great pleasure for me to watch both of these players develop into professionals in such a short time in the league.”

Clark leads the WNBA in points (points plus points from assists) with 713, according to ESPN. The No. 1 pick of the Indiana Fever also became the first rookie to have a triple-double in a game, doing so in a win over New York.

Reese set the WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles with 13, breaking Candace Parker’s record of 12 set in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. She leads the league in rebounding with 11.9 per game.

The panel also named Las Vegas star A’ja Wilson as the unanimous choice for Player of the Year at this point in the season. Wilson felt she should have won the award last year and she has been even more dominant this year. She is averaging 27.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 blocks.

The Aces star is on track to break the record for average points in a season, becoming the Aces’ all-time leading scorer on Sunday.

Cheryl Reeve earns the Coach of the Year nomination midway through the season. She led the Minnesota Lynx to a Commissioner’s Cup title and the team is now ranked No. 3 in the standings. Reeve was a near-unanimous choice, with Connecticut’s Stephanie White the only other vote.

AP WNBA Poll

New York remains in first place in this week’s AP WNBA power poll, while Connecticut climbs to second. Las Vegas, Minnesota and Seattle were the next three. Indiana and Phoenix tied for sixth. Chicago and Atlanta followed. Washington, Los Angeles and Dallas rounded out the poll.

Caitlin angle

Clark has double-digit assists in her last three games, including a 19-point, 12-rebound, 13-assist effort against New York on Saturday. The Fever have gone 6-3 in their last nine games. Indiana has a busy week ahead, hosting Washington and Phoenix before visiting Minnesota on Sunday.

Rookie watch

Rickea Jackson has been in her element lately. The fourth overall pick of the Los Angeles Sparks averaged 16 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists last week. She had a season-high 22 points in a loss to Phoenix.

Up on the score list

Tina Charles is 95 points behind Tina Thompson for second place on the WNBA all-time scoring list after the Atlanta Dream forward passed Tamika Catchings on Sunday. Charles has scored 7,394 points in her career.

Player of the week

Wilson earned AP Player of the Week honors. The Aces forward averaged 27.3 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks to help Las Vegas go 3-1. Other players receiving votes were Reese and Clark.

Game of the week

New York at Connecticut, Wednesday. The teams with the best records in the WNBA meet in a matinee camp day game. They play again next Tuesday in New York before taking a couple of weeks off for the Olympic break.