When Iowa State started 0-3 in the Big 12 this season, there were plenty of questions. What was going wrong? What needs to be changed? 

Coach Bill Fennelly started tinkering with different starting lineups. Different players found more or less playing time depending on the opponent.

No matter what Iowa State did with its personnel, it couldn’t get a win.

Part of that was because Bridget Carleton, Iowa State’s sophomore phenom and leading scorer in Big 12 play, was struggling to score.

In Iowa State’s Big 12 opener, Carleton had a solid performance, scoring 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds.

But in her next two games, she went 6-for-25 (24 percent) from the floor, and Iowa State lost both.

“I went through a little phase there where I wasn’t shooting the ball as well as I need to or should have,” Carleton said. “I was in the gym constantly. I know I can make those shots.”

In five games since then, the Cyclones have bounced back with a 2-3 record. While that record is far from perfect, the Cyclones have been competitive in every game aside from the matchup at No. 2 Baylor. Carleton is a big reason for that.

It started with an 87-58 win against Kansas in which Carleton had 21 points on just nine field goal attempts. After that game, Fennelly said the biggest relief aside from winning the game was getting Carleton back on track.

“The kid has tried so hard,” Fennelly said. “And been in one of those funks we all get into. She’s in the gym nonstop.”

The game against Kansas was just the start. She followed it up with 15 points and six rebounds in a tough home loss to Oklahoma.

Carleton has led Iowa State in scoring in four of its last five games, a stretch during which she has averaged 19.4 points and six rebounds per game.

The Big 12 has taken notice. Carleton was named co-Big 12 Player of the Week after recording 30 points, nine rebounds and four assists while playing all 40 minutes against TCU.

Still, Carleton isn’t satisfied.

“One of the coaches the other day said I needed to take more of a leadership role,” Carleton said. “I’m kind of working into stepping into that role this season a little bit, but I think next season and future seasons is really a chance for me to be the leader on the team.”

Other coaches around the league have taken notice as well. No. 22 Kansas State came into Hilton and lost, thanks in large part to Carleton’s 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie was impressed by Carleton after the game.

“Carleton, I think, has had a good look all year,” Mittie said. “She hit some big ones.”

The “big ones” Mittie mentioned happened in the fourth quarter. With Kansas State trying to crawl back from a deficit that was as large as 11 points, Carleton hit a pair of huge fourth-quarter 3-pointers.

The first 3-pointer came when Kansas State held a one-point lead with just over five minutes remaining. Carleton hit a shot from the corner with a hand in her face to give Iowa State a two-point lead.

The next came shortly after a timeout. With the Cyclones clinging to a two-point lead with 2:30 remaining, Fennelly drew up a play for Carleton to shoot from the top of the key. She got open and swished the 3-pointer as the crowd erupted.

Those daggers made the difference in the game for Iowa State.

“When I make my first two I usually feel good for the rest of the game,” Carleton said. “That comes with coach Fennelly, he’s always on me, like every shot I take is a good shot.”

Even before she stepped foot on campus, Carleton has been a great scorer. She set a Cyclone debut record with 28 points in her first career game.

“I’ve told her many times, ‘I’ll tell you when to quit shooting,’ and that’s gonna be in about two and a half years when she’s gone,” Fennelly said.

She has stepped up her scoring even more this year. After the Cyclones fell at Iowa, Carleton helped the team bounce back by scoring a career-high 31 against Northern Illinois.

She started the next game against Delaware State with four consecutive 3-pointers on Iowa State’s first four possessions. 1:58 into the first quarter, Carleton led Delaware State by herself, 12-1.

That’s the kind of scoring ability Carleton has. She can take over a game in the blink of an eye, which has allowed her to keep pace with the best of the Big 12. As of Sunday, Carleton is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring at 16.5 points per game.

She has hit 23 of her 24 free-throw attempts during conference play, which leads the Big 12. Her 19 made 3-pointers put her fourth in the league in that category.

But Carleton doesn’t just want to be known as a scorer. She has had great all-around performances before — she posted 11 rebounds and four assists in her Cyclone debut, along with 19 rebounds in a game against TCU last year.

This year, with a lot of the same players back from last year, Carleton wanted to work on her all-around game.

“I just take pride in doing the little things,” Carleton said. “I mean the game obviously is not all about scoring. You’re not gonna play if you can score but you can’t get a stop on defense.

“Obviously I take pride in kind of defending my own and doing whatever I can to help on the floor, whether that’s rebounding or blocking shots like you said, or scoring. I like to do whatever I can to help the team.”

In Big 12 play, Carleton ranks first on the team in points, second in rebounds, third in assists, third in steals and first in blocks. As far as shooting goes, Carleton has hit the most free throws and 3-pointers on the team.

Whether Iowa State finishes its season strong, Fennelly knows the team is lucky to have a player like Carleton moving forward.

“She’s a tremendous basketball player and she’s a better person,” Fennelly said. “She’s such a great part of the Iowa State University family.”