Former Iowa State Cyclone Bridget Carleton appeared at the WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago, Illinois, for the 3-Point Contest.
It was announced on July 21 that Carleton would be competing, alongside number one draft pick Azzi Fudd from the Dallas Wings, Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, Toronto’s Marina Mabrey, Seattle’s Natisha Hiedeman and the Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaun.
The 3-Point Contest gives players 27 shots, with 16 being for a single point, nine being for two and two shots from extra far out for three total points. One rack selected by each player is a money ball rack, consisting of five balls worth two points.
Entering the All-Star break, Carleton had made 67 3-pointers on 193 attempts, coming to 37.4% on the year.
Just halfway through the regular season, Carleton has already made her second-most 3-pointers in a year. Carleton is currently targeting her 2024 season with the Minnesota Lynx, during which she made 91 threes in 39 games and won the WNBA Most Improved Player award.
In the first round, Carleton scored 29 points, topping the first round. Carleton went four for five from the left corner, left and right wing and the top of the key, as well as five for five from the right corner, and even made an extra deep three for three points.
2026 first pick Fudd made it into the final versus Carleton with 24 total points, five off of Carleton. Fudd went four for five from the left and right corners as well as the top of the key and two for five from left and right wings, with an extra-long shot for three from the left side.
Prior to All-Star Weekend, Fudd had shot 38.7% from beyond the arc, making 53 total on the year. In her redshirt senior year for UConn, Fudd shot 44.7% from beyond the arc and ended the season making 117 triples, leading the NCAA.
In the final, Fudd shot first, making her first six shots and going perfect from the left corner. She then made a 3-point shot from the left side; she then went four for five on her final three racks, including her money ball rack to end with the highest score of the night with a 30.
Second up, Carleton went two for five on her first rack, and it already seemed that her night was over. She shot four for five on her money rack but then one for five from the top of the key and two for five on her final two racks, ending with a final score of 19.
Carleton finished with the second-highest total score and the highest of the first round. Impressively, the final was two first-timers, with Fudd, a rookie, winning and Carleton, a former most improved player, showing why she won that honor in 2024.
