Zia Cooke shines for South Carolina vs. Kentucky, overcomes slump in SEC play
Zia Cooke had plenty to celebrate Sunday.
South Carolina women’s basketball’s junior shooting guard continued her electric campaign in Southeastern Conference play, putting up 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting in No. 1 USC’s 74-54 win over No. 21 Kentucky at Colonial Life Arena.
Cooke scored in double figures for her fourth consecutive game and improved her conference average to 16 points per game, second-best on the team.
Cooke went through a five-game slump to close non-conference play, shooting 20.3% on 12 of 59 from the field in games from Nov. 29-Dec. 21. She turned it around in SEC action, improving to 38.5% (25 of 65) in the Gamecocks’ first four conference games.
“I think (the improvement) comes from me staying the course and not getting down on myself,” Cooke said after the Kentucky game. “Even when I wasn’t playing so well, I continued to do what I did best, and kept working hard.”
Before the Kentucky game, head coach Dawn Staley said letting Cooke go through her scoring struggles without adding pressure helped keep her mindset sharp for the eventual comeback.
Staley said she didn’t harp or draw too much attention to Cooke’s slump. Instead, she guided her through selecting good shots from bad ones. The work paid off.
“She knows that I’m with her,” Staley said before the Kentucky game. “I’m going through it with her. She’s not going through it alone. I’m glad she’s over it, and we’re hopefully moving into more green pastures.”
Cooke has scored on 50% of her 30 combined shots from the past two games against No. 13 LSU and No. 21 Kentucky, both conference opponents ranked in The Associated Press Top 25.
When Cooke is performing well, the Gamecocks’ offense follows. South Carolina averaged 66 points per game on 39.3% shooting in the five games Cooke struggled. Since Cooke has improved in SEC play, the Gamecocks average 72.25 points per game on 43.8% shooting.
“When Zia plays well, it just raises the level of our entire team,” Staley said after the Kentucky game. “Some players have that impact, and she is that for us.
“I think she’s in a good space, and sometimes when you get that slump off your back, it just frees up for so many other things. I thought she just played at a good pace today where she could shoot it, she could pass it. She could see the game coming right at her, and she could see the options in front of her.”
Aside from her accomplishments on the court Sunday, Cooke also turned 21 years old — and she said after the game she knew there would be a birthday surprise in store later that day.
Cooke, joined by South Carolina’s leading scorer Aliyah Boston at Sunday’s postgame press conference, grinned at her teammate when asked about her birthday plans. Cooke said she wasn’t sure what to expect, but she knew Boston would be there.
“This is crazy, I don’t know,” Cooke said. “I guess it’s a little surprise, but I know it’s at 6 o’clock.”
Cooke and Boston turned to each other and laughed as they talked about the birthday plans. Cooke left the press conference knowing whatever happened would be posted on social media.
Next USC women’s basketball game
Who: No. 1 South Carolina (15-1, 3-1 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (10-4, 0-2 SEC)
When: Thursday at 7 p.m.
Where: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
Watch: SEC Network
South Carolina 74, Kentucky 54
KENTUCKY (8-4)—Edwards 4-13 0-0 10, Howard 2-14 5-8 9, Hunt 4-10 0-0 10, Massengill 4-7 0-0 10, Walker 0-7 0-0 0, Owens 2-7 0-2 4, Benton 5-13 0-1 11, Leveretter 0-0 0-0 0, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 21-71 5-11 54
SOUTH CAROLINA (15-1)—Boston 9-12 0-0 18, Saxton 4-7 4-4 12, Beal 0-3 0-0 0, Cooke 8-15 2-2 19, Henderson 4-13 1-2 10, Grissett 0-1 2-4 2, Wesolek 0-0 0-0 0, Cardoso 2-5 0-0 4, Littleton 0-0 0-0 0, Feagin 0-0 0-0 0, Hall 2-7 0-0 5, Rivers 1-4 0-0 2, Russell 1-2 0-0 2, Team 0-0 0-0 0, Totals 31-69 9-12 74
Halftime—South Carolina 41-27. 3-Point Goals—Kentucky 7-18 (Edwards 2-4, Howard 0-3, Hunt 2-5, Massengill 2-2, Walker 0-1, Benton 1-3), South Carolina 3-17 (Boston 0-1, Beal 0-2, Cooke 1-3, Henderson 1-6, Hall 1-4, Rivers 0-1). Assists—Kentucky 13 (Howard 6), South Carolina 11 (Henderson 4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Kentucky 37 (Team 5-7), South Carolina 55 (Saxton 5-9). Total Fouls—Kentucky 10, South Carolina 10. Technical Fouls—None. A—12,327.
This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
