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 (7-19) brought relentless offensive energy into Bojangles Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. However, the scorching-hot Charlotte Crown (17-10) seeking their ninth consecutive victory after locking up a spot in the inaugural UPSHOT League Championship game.
First Quarter: Steel Set Early Tone Before Crown Respond
Savannah wasted no time setting a physical, high-intensity standard. Cori Lard opened the scoring by knocking down a shot from beyond the arc in just her second game with the Steel and ninth appearance in the UPSHOT League. The Steel flexed their hustle early, building a six-point advantage midway through the frame behind active glass work from Kyah Watson, who pulled down four early rebounds. Savannah held the lead for nearly five minutes in the opening period. Charlotte quickly answered, anchored by steady backcourt play from Deja Kelly and efficiency inside. The Crown unleashed a ten-point scoring run to close out the opening period, surging ahead 16-13 heading into the second quarter.
Second Quarter: Rebounding Battle & Richardson’s Hot Hand
Savannah’s offensive intensity stayed hot to start the second frame as Ja’Leah Williams and Lasha Petree quickly found the net to reclaim a one-point lead for the Steel. Savannah continued to dominate the boards, racking up eleven total offensive rebounds in the half and manufacturing four second-chance opportunities on a single wild possession. That relentless pressure on the glass left Charlotte momentarily discombobulated, allowing Savannah’s perimeter game to catch fire. Shooting a hotter percentage from deep than overall from the floor for much of the half, the Steel sank six triples, led by Petree’s two-for-three mark from deep and NaJai Pollard going a perfect two-for-two off the bench.
However, the Crown tightened up their defense when it mattered most. Charlotte clamped down late in the quarter, forcing multiple shot-clock violations to regain control of the game flow. On offense, the Crown relied heavily on Reigan Richardson, who delivered a powerhouse first-half performance. Showcasing two-way dominance, Richardson poured in a half-high sixteen points on near-perfect five-of-six shooting from the field while leading Charlotte’s defensive charge. Behind Richardson’s stellar effort and a perfect seven-for-seven team performance from the charity stripe, Charlotte held on to head into the locker room with a 37-33 lead.
Third Quarter: Steel Surge Ahead Before Crown Force Tie
The Savannah Steel came out of the locker room with an unmatched pace, locking in offensively over the first two and a half minutes to ignite a 10-3 run. Lauryn Taylor anchored Savannah’s push by continuing her role as the frontcourt workhorse, a physical presence the Steel deeply missed during Wednesday’s game, which Taylor missed due to illness. Her dirty work inside forced Crown head coach Trisha Stafford-Odom to call a timeout with 7:18 remaining in the quarter as Savannah jumped ahead 41-40. The Steel maintained their high-octane tempo to build a 47-42 advantage with 2:51 left, capitalizing on a Charlotte squad that struggled to manage the ball, tallying 13 total turnovers. Desperate to energize her roster, Crown head coach Stafford-Odom picked up a technical foul with 1:34 remaining. Although Charlotte managed to scrap together enough offense late to pull even at 48-48 heading into the fourth quarter, Savannah won the period 15-11 to set up a tight final stretch.
Fourth Quarter: Crown Take Control Late to Seal Ninth Straight Win
Charlotte took complete control in the final frame, leaning heavily on Reigan Richardson’s aggressive play to protect their home floor and keep their winning streak alive. Richardson, who poured in a career-high 31 points against Savannah on Wednesday evening, put on another clinic by scoring a game-high 26 points, including six key points early in the fourth to push the Crown ahead 58-52 with seven minutes remaining. Charlotte expanded its margin to double digits as the quarter wore on, but JJ Quinerly single-handedly tried to will the Steel back into contention. Down eight late, Quinerly fought relentless pressure to finish with 22 points on the night, anchoring Savannah’s offense down the stretch. Despite Quinerly’s high-scoring heroics, Charlotte’s scorching 65% shooting performance in the fourth quarter proved too much to overcome, securing an 81-72 victory for the Crown.
For complete team and individual statistics from this matchup, view the full game box score here.
Next Up
The Steel and the Crown will complete their back-to-back set immediately tomorrow, Sunday, August 9, with tip-off scheduled for 2:00 PM at Bojangles Coliseum. With the win, the Charlotte Crown improve to 18-10 on the season and extend their winning streak to nine games, while the Savannah Steel fall to 7-20 overall.
Don’t Miss the Action at Enmarket Arena! If you haven’t made your way to Enmarket Arena yet, don’t miss your chance before the inaugural season wraps up! The Savannah Steel finish their regular season at home with a three-game homestand from August 21 to 23. Single-game and season ticket packages can be purchased online at the official Savannah Steel website or by calling (912) 494-2868.
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