By Destiny Hartwell
SAVANNAH, GA. — The Savannah Steel dropped their second consecutive game to the Greensboro Groove on Sunday afternoon, falling 89-76 in the fifth and final regular-season meeting between the two teams at Enmarket Arena. Despite back-to-back losses to close out the five-game stretch, Savannah secures the overall regular-season series with a 3-2 record.
The Groove built a commanding lead early, shooting a blistering 63.2 percent from the field in the first quarter to lead 26-17. Greensboro sustained that offensive production in the second period, extending its advantage to 49-33 by halftime.
Savannah found its footing defensively and rhythm at the free-throw line after the break, outscoring the Groove 43-40 in the second half, but the early deficit was too much to overcome. The Steel shot an efficient 88.9 percent from the charity stripe on the day, converting 24 of 27 attempts, but struggled from beyond the arc, finishing just 4 of 16 from three-point range.
Olivia Cochran paced the Steel with 15 points, missing only one shot from the floor and finishing a perfect 5 for 5 from the free-throw line. Alisia Jenkins contributed 14 points, while Lauryn Taylor added 12 points off the bench, including two connections from deep. Iyana Moore chipped in nine points in the loss.
Greensboro’s balanced attack featured five players in double figures. Jessica Timmons led all scorers with 18 points, while Kayla Jones added 14 points off the bench. Sahara Jonesscored 12, and both Sydney Shaw and Ny’ceara Pryor chipped in 11 points apiece. The Groove bench proved to be a major factor, outscoring Savannah’s reserves 40-24.
The Groove also controlled the interior, outscoring the Steel 34-26 in the paint and generating 19 second-chance points off 11 offensive rebounds.
With the five-game series against Greensboro now completed, Savannah moves to 7-10 on the season and will look to bounce back as they head into the next phase of the regular-season schedule.
The Savannah Steel will be back in action very soon, as they are scheduled to hit the hardwood again on ,Wednesday, July 8 with a 12 PM game tipoff. Don’t miss a second of the action! Secure your seats today by visiting the Savannah Steel website for single-game and season tickets, or call (912) 494-2868 for more information.
– STEEL –