Igniting the Fire: Bridget Carleton

Iowa State mens basketball has become an absolute powerhouse over the past couple of years, consistently boasting great records and sending stars like Tyrese Haliburton to the NBA.

Whats come as a bit of a surprise this season has been an alumnus from the womens team.

Bridget Carleton has established herself as a WNBA star, going from a starter to a teams first option.

Carleton played for Iowa State from 2015-19 and was elite with the Cyclones after arriving in Ames from Chatham, Ontario, Canada, for her freshman season.

Carleton was almost an instant starter for Iowa State, starting 25 of the 27 games she played in during the 2015 season.

During her freshman season, she averaged 12 points per game and was the second-leading scorer for the Cyclones, behind only Seanna Johnson.

Carleton became more and more of a staple for Iowa State, too.

By her junior season, Carleton started all 31 games for Iowa State.

For the 2018-19 season, Carletons senior year, she averaged 21.7 points per game on 46.8% shooting and 8.6 rebounds per game.

Carleton was awarded the 2019 Big 12 Player of the Year, a unanimous selection for the Big 12 first team, the Cheryl Miller Award for the best small forward in womens college basketball and even a nomination for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

Carleton and the Cyclones only made the second round of the NCAA tournament despite all of her individual efforts.

End of season meant Carleton was headed to the WNBA draft.

In the 2019 WNBA Draft, Carleton was taken by the Connecticut Sun 21st overall in the second round.

Carleton did make the Suns roster come the start of the 2019 season, but was cut after just four games, averaging 7.3 minutes per game and not scoring at all.

Carletons WNBA career wasnt over, though; the Minnesota Lynx offered her a 7-day contract and eventually signed her for the remainder of the 2019 season.

During the 2020 season, Carleton gained a bigger role with the Lynx, starting in 15 of the teams 22 games and averaging 6.6 points per game.

In Carletons first start against the New York Liberty, she scored 25 points on top of seven rebounds and three assists, making her the third player ever to score 25 points or more and have five or more rebounds on a starting debut.

From 2021 to 2023, Carleton remained a bench player, starting just 16 of 106 games over the three seasons.

In 2024, Carleton got the step up, doubling her minutes per game from 15.1 minutes per game to 29.8 minutes per game and starting 36 of the Lynxs 39 games.

Carleton also ranked fifth in 3-point percentage in 2024, which helped her win the WNBA Most Improved Player Award.

Carleton went from 3.2 points per game in 2023 to 9.6 in 2024.

In 2024, the Lynx won the WNBA Commissioners Cup, the WNBAs in-season tournament, with the Lynx winning the championship game 94-89 versus the New York Liberty.

During the 2024 postseason, the Lynx made their way all the way to the WNBA Finals, and after forcing a win-or-go-home game five versus the Liberty, the Lynx lost 67-62 in overtime.

Carleton returned to Minnesota for the 2025 season, with the Lynx having the best record in the WNBA come season end at 34-10.

After the Lynx won their first round series 2-0 versus the Golden State Valkyries, they lost to the Phoenix Mercury 3-1 in the second round.

In 2026, the WNBA introduced two new expansion teams, the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo.

The Lynx decided not to protect Carleton for the expansion draft, meaning Carleton was instantly a top projected pick.

With the very first pick in the expansion draft, the Fire selected Carleton, meaning the former Cyclone was headed to Oregon to play for her third WNBA team.

Carleton, having seven years of experience in the WNBA, made her the most tenured player for the Fire along with teammates Karlie Samuelson and ex-Cy-Hawk rival Megan Gustafson.

With six rookies on the Fires roster and three more second-year players, Carleton has become a player for nearly the whole organization to look up to.

In 2026, Carleton has averaged a season-high 13.9 points per game, second on the Fire only behind Carla Leite, who is averaging 14.4 points per game.

Carleton has also started 11 of 11 games for Portland, and averages the most minutes per game for the Fire with 29.4 per game.

Carletons season high came versus the New York Liberty on May 12, scoring 26 points and four steals in the Fires first-ever victory, winning 98-96.

Through the Fires first 12 games of the season, they sit at 6-6, fifth in the west and looking to find themselves in the playoffs.

If Carleton and the Fire can keep playing at the rate they have, Portland might see the WNBAs postseason come seasons end..

This article has been shared from the original article on iowastatedaily, here is the link to the original article.