Not Paige Bueckers but Another Rookie Inches Closer to Caitlin Clark Record With Game-Winning Performance Against Indiana Fever

Back in the day, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark were teammates on USA Basketball’s youth squads, capturing gold at the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Championship and the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, before later facing off in the 2021 Sweet 16 and the 2024 NCAA tournament. But in 2022, Paige suffered a torn ACL in a pick-up game, sidelining her for the entire 2022-23 season and postponing her pro debut as she returned to UConn instead of entering the 2024 draft. With Paige out, the Bueckers-Clark rivalry went quiet, making room for the Angel Reese-Clark feud to ignite, splitting fans nationwide. Amid all this drama, another rookie quietly started building her resume—and she’s now rapidly closing in on Clark.

Sonia Citron showed out on Friday night, powering the Washington Mystics to an 88-84 win over the Indiana Fever. The rookie poured in 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting, knocked down 3-of-5 from deep, and was perfect at the line with six free throws, while adding two boards and three assists. Indiana actually jumped ahead early, outscoring Washington 23-16 in the first quarter, but the Mystics flipped the script from there—taking control in the second, third, and fourth to seal the win.

On the back of such impressive performances, Sonia Citron is making waves in her rookie season, and she’s now only the fourth rookie in WNBA history to score 168 points in the fourth quarter. The only players ahead of her? Candice Wiggins (201), Arike Ogunbowale (194), and Caitlin Clark (186). Citron’s season just keeps getting better—she’s started every game for Washington, was named a WNBA All-Star, participated in the Three-Point contest, and continues to show she can take over from the opening tip. Just last month, she dropped 19 of her career-high 28 points in the first half, hitting seven of eight shots, including all four three-pointers, proving she’s a scoring machine.

Well, Clark set the bar high in her rookie season—769 points, 337 assists, 14 double-doubles, and 122 three-pointers. She became the first WNBA rookie with a triple-double, earned Rookie of the Month four times, and holds Fever records for double-doubles, threes in a season, and 10+ assist games, cementing her legendary rookie campaign.

Now sidelined with a right groin strain for her 12th straight game, comparisons to Clark are almost inevitable. Citron even laughed about being mistaken for Clark: “I was at a restaurant with my two best friends from Notre Dame, and this guy came up to me, and was super excited, and was like ‘Oh my goodness, are you Caitlin Clark?’… I was like, ‘It’s just, it’s not me.’” With her performance this season, it’s ironic but fitting that Citron is chasing the very records Clark set.

Since the Mystics traded Brittney Sykes, Citron has taken over the offense, averaging 18.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game, shooting 50% from the floor and 46.9% from three. Rookie Kiki Iriafen has also blossomed, giving the Mystics fresh energy, even if the team is 1-3 since the trade. With rookies like Citron and Paige Bueckers chasing Clark’s records—Paige already tied Arike Ogunbowale for the second-most 20+ point and 5+ assist games by a rookie—the Rookie of the Year 2025 race is heating up, and Sonia is very much in the hunt.

Sonia Citron keeps ROTY race alive against Paige Bueckers

If you thought Paige Bueckers had the Rookie of the Year award all but wrapped up, Sonia Citron is here to remind everyone that this race isn’t over yet. The Washington Mystics rookie has been quietly—and now loudly—making her case with numbers that stack up surprisingly well against the No. 1 overall pick. In 33 games that Citron has played this season, she is averaging 15 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting an efficient 46.5% from the field, 39.4% from deep, and 87.3% from the free throw line. Compare that with Bueckers, who in 27 games is putting up 18.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on 45.9% shooting, 31.6% from three, and 87.8% from the stripe. Paige still leads in scoring, assists, and steals (1.7 vs. Citron’s 1.2), but Citron is the one with the cleaner efficiency.

Where Citron really separates herself is in clutch situations. She’s already piled up 41 clutch points this season, the most by any rookie, and she’s doing it with deadly accuracy — 47.8% from the field and 50% from three in late-game moments. Bueckers, on the other hand, is hitting just 29.6% overall and 16.7% from three in those same pressure situations. That’s the kind of difference voters notice. Add in the fact that Citron has stayed on the court for more games and heavier minutes (32.6 per contest), and you start to see why her name isn’t fading from the conversation.

Even on defense, Citron has proven she can hold her own. She averages 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks per game with a strong defensive rating of 100, thriving in Washington’s structured system. Bueckers, meanwhile, takes on a bigger defensive load for Dallas, leading all rookies with 1.8 steals and adding 0.6 blocks per game, but her defensive rating sits higher at 105.2. And while Bueckers has carried the Wings’ offense as their lone All-Star in what’s been a rough 9-25 season, Citron has been a steady part of a Mystics squad sitting at 15-18 and flirting with playoff contention. So yes, Paige may still be the favorite, but Sonia Citron has made one thing very clear — she’s not just in the Rookie of the Year race, she’s more than capable of winning it.