Bridget Carleton 'super excited' to be 1st Canadian to play WNBA game at home

When Bridget Carleton steps onto the Scotiabank Arena court on Saturday, she'll make history.

The Chatham, Ont., native is set to become the first Canadian to play a WNBA game in Canada when her Minnesota Lynx face the Chicago Sky in an exhibition in Toronto.

Carleton said she was "super excited" to be part of the momentous occasion for Canadian basketball.

"I think it's going to be huge. Not only the ticket sales people are excited about, but little boys and girls who are looking up to us, just getting excited about women's sports in general and having it in our own backyard, easy access," she said in a press conference on Friday.

"It's huge to help grow the game, so I think all of it combined, there's so many different aspects to it just one game can have."

The game, which starts at 4 p.m. ET, will be broadcast on TSN and Sportsnet with an all-Canadian, all-female group. Meghan McPeak will do play-by-play next to analyst Amy Audibert, while Nikki Reyes, co-host of CBC's Canada's Ultimate Challenge, takes on sideline reporting duties.

WATCH | Carleton discusses game with CBC Sports' Anastasia Bucsis:

Tickets sold out the day they became available. Carleton's grandmother will be among those in the crowd, getting to watch her granddaughter play professionally for the first time ever.

The 25-year-old spent her WNBA off-season plying her trade overseas in Spain, and with her season having just ended on Sunday, she said she hadn't seen her family since Christmas.

Carleton is one of four Canadians currently on WNBA rosters. Natalie Achonwa, who also plays for the Lynx, recently had a son. Kia Nurse signed with the Seattle Storm in the off-season, while rookie Laeticia Amihere was drafted eighth overall to the Atlanta