The Monarchs (13-11) tip-off against the Phoenix Mercury (11-13) Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
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The Monarchs host the Mercury for the second time this season. In their previous meeting at ARCO Arena, Sacramento out-hustled Phoenix to a 105-97 victory. Led by Chelsea Newton's career-high 18 points, the Monarchs had six players tally 10-plus points. Newton's former teammate at Rutgers, Cappie Pondexter, led the Mercury with a season-high 33 points.
Get ready for the high-speed affair with Chelsea Newton and Nicole Powell in the GameDay Q&A.
What was the key to your career-high 18-point performance against the Mercury last time they visited Sacramento?
"We were just watching film, and we were all attacking, I just happened to get fouled along the way so I shot a lot of free throws. My teammates were laughing because they were like, 'you shot like four or five times!' And I had 18 points, which is crazy."
What does the team think about playing an 11:30 a.m. game?
"It's cool. We just woke up at 7 o'clock in the morning in Atlanta, which felt like 4 o'clock in the morning because we were still on West Coast time. So this might feel a little bit like East Coast time, so we'll be alright."
The Monarchs are the hottest team in the League right now, what's been the difference during this five-game win streak?
"Our little saying is, 'Don't blow the mo,' which is the momentum and basically staying in the moment, just taking it one game at a time, one minute at a time, one second at a time, and just focusing on that. We're not even looking at the games that we've won. We're just looking ahead at everything. We've worked so hard this year and it's just coming together at the right time."
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During this five-game win streak, have you noticed a difference in the team's mindset?
"I think that road trip down in Texas was tough on us, so we came back and said we wanted to change, and we still had the time and the ability. So we knew we couldn't forget that, and had to remember who we are. We kind of forgot who we are, so once we got back to that, it takes a lot of hard work. We remember how hard that LA win was. Even with Phoenix, we have to try to continue that."
How hard is it as an athlete to stay positive and confident when your team is in the midst of a losing streak, like the Monarchs were prior to the current win streak?
"It was hard for our team in that moment. But then again, we are a very resilient team and we bounce back. So like I said, we talked about who we are and who we want to be, and we've gotten back to it. It's just a testament to our team and our group."
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