TORRANCE — Zia Cooke and Azurá Stevens believe the Sparks, now that they’re home, can put an end to their losing streak.
“It’s been tough,” Cooke said of the team’s seven-game winless road trip. “I think for all of us, it’s been a little bit of frustration but the biggest thing for us all is to stay together, continue to stay connected and understand that it’s hard to win in this league. But if we want to do it, we have to stay connected and really get it done.”
“A lot of things we can control,” said Stevens, a veteran forward/center who has not played this season due to injury. “Most important is defensively. We have to get stops more.”
“Letting our defense create our offense, in my mind,” Cooke added. “I think that’s something that would be huge for us. Actually, making teams feel us. We have to make these teams feel us and fight back.”
Even with a roster limited by injuries and down to nine players until Stevens’ impending return, Sparks coach Curt Miller said he focused on the positive aspect of having fewer active players.
“There’s some good that comes with lower numbers because everyone knows that their number is going to get called and they’re going to get an opportunity,” Miller said.
A bright spot lately has been Cooke, the team’s 2023 first-round selection out of South Carolina. The second-year combo guard has scored 31 points in her past three games after scoring 25 points in her first 12 games.
Cooke’s playing time has recently increased to 17 minutes per game off the bench. She said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley’s words of wisdom helped her remain patient when she was not playing consistent minutes.
“It was hard for sure,” the 5-foot-9 Cooke said. “Definitely very hard, but I don’t fear anything but God. I pray a lot. I take my time with things. I continued to stay in the gym and did everything I needed to do.
“I talked to all my mentors to help me out during that time, just being ready when…
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