MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx today announced that forward Bridget Carleton has signed the qualifying offer extended by Minnesota Lynx Head Coach and General Manager Cheryl Reeve. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Carleton, 24, averaged 4.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.3 minutes per game for the Lynx during the 2021 season. She concluded her third WNBA season as one of two Lynx players to appear in all 32 games (Kayla McBride) and had 10 starts.  She shot 40.1% from the floor, ranked third on Minnesota for three-point field goal percentage at 36.5% and hit 80.0% from the free-throw line. She connected on one or more triple in 14 of her last 17 games, shooting 43.5% (20-for-46) from long distance in that stretch.

The Chatham, Ontario native made her Olympic debut during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where she tallied 11.3 ppg, shooting 43.3% from the field, a team-high 6.0 rpg and 3.3 apg in three games played.

Carleton, originally selected by Connecticut in the second round (21st overall) of the 2019 WNBA Draft, arrived in Minnesota on a seven-day contract on Aug. 22, 2019 and was signed for the remainder of the 2019 WNBA season on Aug. 29, 2019. She re-signed a one-year contract with Minnesota on May 26, 2020 and accepted a qualifying offer for the 2021 season on Jan. 9, 2021.

During the 2020 WNBA season, Carleton played in all 22 games (15 starts) and averaged a career-best 6.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25.8 minutes per contest while shooting 52.0% from the floor and 45.7% from beyond the arc. In her first career start on Aug. 5 against New York, she tallied a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds, becoming the fifth Lynx player to score 20+ points in her starting debut.

The 6-1 forward is currently making her overseas debut with Israel’s A.S. Ramat HaSharon where she’s appeared in 12 contests and is averaging 16.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per game.

Credits: Minnesota Lynx