The Los Angeles Sparks fell 81-85 against the Phoenix Mercury during their fan appreciation night. The Sparks showed a competitiveness during the first half that they were unable to maintain. The Mercury implemented a zone defense that the Sparks were not familiar with.
“They really made it ugly … they played a lot of zone. They scrambled around and pressed,” said Sparks head coach Curt Miller. “I didn’t think that first unit shared the ball particularly well. I thought it was sticking and we needed to move it.”
Sparks forward Dearica Hamby led all scorers with 21 points and center Li Yueru had 12 rebounds. Yueru had a career-high of 19 points in the contest, she noted how she felt like she matured this season.
“I’m really appreciative of my coach, staff and teammates, they try to help me every game and every practice,” Yueru said. “I feel really good on the court.”
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The Sparks scored 30 points in the second quarter alone with guard Zia Cooke finding her offensive rhythm. The South Carolina product went 3-4 from deep, ultimately scoring nine points. While Cooke did not receive an abundance of playing time this season, she still found ways to develop.
“I’ve grown a lot more than anything in the mental space,” Cooke said. “I just knew with each and every opportunity that I got that I would just give my all.”
Moments prior to halftime, forward Rickea Jackson got into a tense exchange with Brittney Griner and both were ejected. Jackson contributed eight points and three rebounds for the Sparks. Griner tied with guard Sophie Cunningham for 14 points.
The Mercury are heading into the playoffs, led by their 20-year vet Diana Taurasi. The Glendale native became the all-time leading scorer of the WNBA while battling the Sparks in 2017. Miller shared fond memories of Taurasi during their time with Team USA women’s basketball in the wake of her milestone season.
“Through all the training camps and the mini camps … [Taurasi] never missed anything, was always there leading,” Miller said. “I knew in a short amount of time just how brilliant an X’s and O’s mind she is and she could get people in the right places.”
The Sparks will finish out their season in an away game against the Minnesota Lynx on September 19 at 5:00P.M.
