By Destiny Hartwell
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Looking to snap a month-long drought and notch their first victory in over four weeks, the Savannah Steel brought relentless offensive energy into Bojangles Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. However, the scorching-hot Charlotte Crown proved to be too much down the stretch, pulling away in the closing minutes to secure an 88-83 victory and extend their winning streak to 11 consecutive games.
First Half
The Steel opened this game with high intensity and aggressive offense, quickly setting up a rhythm on the floor. Savannah jumped out to an early ten-point lead in the opening quarter behind sharp execution, taking a 28-20 advantage into the second frame. Newcomer JJ Quinerly set the tone early for Savannah, driving the lane and finding her mark from distance. Charlotte responded in the second quarter behind perimeter shooting from A.D. Durr and KK Deans, putting together a 28-point quarter to erase Savannah’s early cushion and tie the game at 48 apiece going into the halftime locker room.
Second Half
Both the Steel and the Crown came out in the second half a little bit sluggish, but both squads quickly settled back into the flow of competition. Savannah managed to build a six-point lead midway through the third quarter, but Charlotte mounted a quick response. With two minutes remaining in the period, the Crown reclaimed a slim lead, an upper hand they had held for only a short window up to that point. Charlotte finished the third quarter holding a tight 66-65
advantage.
Charlotte entered the fourth quarter with an immediate five-point run, but the Steel anchored down, gathered defensive stops, and re-took the lead. With 2:53 left to play, Savannah led 80-79. Down the stretch, Deja Kelly did everything she could to keep the Steel at bay, forcing multiple official reviews in back-to-back plays and drawing fouls to earn crucial points at the free-throw line. Kelly hit 10 of her 12 free-throw attempts on the day, helping Charlotte take a four-point lead with 1:30 left.
Despite fighting through constant roster adjustments and building chemistry on the fly, Savannah continued to compete behind Quinerly, who delivered a game-high 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting. With 9.1 seconds left to play, Quinerly hit a three-pointer to pull the Steel within three points at 86-83. However, Kelly sealed the game with two final points to total 23 on the afternoon, preserving the win for a Crown roster that played without heavy minutes from Reigan Richardson.
For complete team and individual statistics from this matchup, view the full game box score here.
Next Up
The victory drops Savannah to 7-21 on the season, extending their losing streak to 13 games, while Charlotte improves to 19-10 with their 10th straight win. Savannah will return to the court on Friday, August 14, when they travel to face the Greensboro Groove at 7:00 PM.
If you have not made your way to Enmarket Arena yet, do not miss your chance before the inaugural season wraps up! The Savannah Steel finish their regular season at home with a three-game home stand from August 21 to 23. Single-game and season ticket packages can be bought online at the official Savannah Steel website or by calling (912) 494-2868.
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