It was a memorable Friday night for Canadian Olympian Bridget Carleton of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. The 27-year-old forward came up clutch in the dying seconds of game four of the 2024 WNBA Finals.
With the game tied at 80, Carleton, who plays for the Minnesota Lynx, was fouled by WNBA star and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu with two seconds left. Then Carleton made both free throws to give Minnesota the 82-80 victory. With the win, Minnesota now has tied the best out of five series at two games apiece with the fifth and deciding game on Sunday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Carleton finished the game with 12 points, four rebounds and one steal in 29 minutes and five seconds of action. She made three of six field goals, two of five three-pointers, and all four free throws. All five Lynx starters reached double figures in points. Kayla McBride had 19 points, Courtney Williams had 15 points, Naphessa Collier had 14 points and Alanna Smith had 12 points.
In the WNBA Finals, Carleton has 39 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and two steals. In the 2024 regular season, Carleton averaged 9.6 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game and one steal per game. She had a field goal percentage of .444, three point percentage of .444, and free throw percentage of .789.
