Caitlin Clark just had one of the best offensive games in WNBA history, and she did it in just 29 minutes

The Indiana Fever star reminded everyone what she's capable of with a historic performance on Friday night to lead her team to a thrilling 110-107 win over the Seattle Storm. Clark finished with a career-high 45 points and 10 assists to set the Fever's franchise scoring record and become the first player in WNBA history with a 40-point, 10-assist game.

>"I just thought I was aggressive from the start," Clark said. "Missed a shot, came back and made the next. I knew my team needed me to step up with [Aliyah Boston] out. Just proud of this group. We were down eight with four minutes to play. Just some true resiliency, but we got another one tomorrow. So this is great, but let's move on."

>Clark, who shot 11 of 18 from the field, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, and 17 of 19 from the free throw line, also added four steals and two blocks, including one late in the fourth quarter that was arguably the biggest play of the night until she hit a go-ahead 3 on the ensuing possession.

>With less than a minute to play and the score tied at 102-102, Makayla Timpson turned the ball over and Flau'jae Johnson raced the other way. Clark sprinted back with her, and with a perfectly timed swipe knocked the ball out of Johnson's hands and off her leg out of bounds.

>Down on the other end, Clark went one-on-one with Johnson and buried a deep step-back 3 from the left wing to give the Fever a 105-102 advantage. She then sealed the game at the free throw line to tie A'ja Wilson for the second-highest scoring game this season.

>"I mean, it's cool. I don't really care," Clark said, when asked of her record-setting scoring output. "I know what I'm capable of and I know what this team is capable of, and it's my job to help us win and be the best team in the WNBA and I don't think we're there yet. It's my responsibility to help us get there. We'll keep working."

>Clark, whose 10 assists led to 21 points for the Fever, also set a WNBA record by accounting for 66 points. Furthermore, she played just 29 minutes and her 45 points are the most ever by a player in fewer than 30 minutes.

>Friday's performance ended a frustrating stretch for Clark, who has had a roller coaster season.

>After an early slump, she bounced back to win Eastern Conference Player of the Month in June, but toward the end of the month was on the receiving end of what Fever coach Stephanie White called "two cheap shots" in a controversial loss to the Phoenix Mercury. One of them was a fist to the throat by Alyssa Thomas, which was retroactively upgraded to a Flagrant 2 and became a flashpoint, and the other was a landing space foul that jarred Clark's back and forced her to the sideline for two weeks.

>Entering Friday, Clark was averaging 11.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, five assists and four turnovers on 35.1/15.8/71.4 shooting splits in 21.9 minutes in the three games since her return. During that stretch she had publicly complained about the team's return-to-play plan for her and lashed out at the officials during a frustrating loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.

>But against the Storm, Clark was back to her best to help the Fever get a key win without Boston, who was sidelined due to a leg injury. Now 15-10, the Fever are in sixth place, but tied for the fifth-best record in the crowded middle of the playoff race. They are only one and a half games behind the Dallas Wings for a top-four seed.

>Let's take a closer look at the top-five plays from the best performance of Clark's career:

>Early in the first quarter, Clark came down in semi-transition and went behind her back to get the defense off balance, then drove to her left toward Kelsey Mitchell. As Clark got to the elbow, Mitchell cut backdoor and Clark found her with a sweet left-hand feed for an and-one.

>Kelsey. Mitchell. AND-1. pic.twitter.com/NWMLQwEFDh

>Clark entered Friday with 198 career 3-pointers, and added six more -- her second-most of the season. Early in the second quarter, she made her second of the night off a feed from Tyasha Harris to reach 200. With that shot, she became the fastest player to 200 3s in WNBA history, doing so in 74 career games.

>HERSTORY 🤩 https://t.co/K4TJ1mfTBJ pic.twitter.com/boHCQY8FSR

>The Fever trailed by eight in the fourth quarter, but had cut the deficit down to four with less than three minutes to play. They got even closer when Clark drove right, took a bump from Jade Melbourne and pulled up for a deep 3 to make it a one-point game. That shot gave Clark 38 points and a new career-high.

>CAITLIN CLARK NEW CAREER-HIGH 38 POINTS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EMPw7tzaUW

>Clark has never been known for her defense, but she made a number of big plays on that side of the ball on Friday; her four steals and two blocks were both season-highs. With less than a minute to play, she came up with one of the best defensive moments of her career when she sprinted back in transition to turn a likely go-ahead basket for the Storm into a turnover by stripping Flau'jae Johnson on the way up.

>CAITLI CLARK WITH THE CLUTCH DEFENSE🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/2jnMOj9iA5

>After Clark forced Johnson into a turnover, the Fever had the ball with a chance to take their first lead of the fourth quarter. The Fever went to a pick-and-roll with Clark and Monique Billings, which the Storm blew up with a hard hedge. Clark had to retreat to midcourt, and with the shot clock winding down, decided to go one-on-one with Johnson.

>CAITLIN. CLARK. FOR. 41. POINTS. 🔥🔥

She drains this step back triple to not only bring her to her NEW career high in PTS, but also bring the @IndianaFever to the lead (105-102)! https://t.co/tMM9GBzEAv pic.twitter.com/rwQjyWRkAl

>She drove and went for one of her patented step-back 3s to the left, which caught nothing but net from 26 feet. The shot not only gave the Fever the lead for good, but gave Clark the first 40-point game of her career.