Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Savannah Steel showed renewed energy as Zee Spearman scored 27 points with a dominant interior performance.
- Charlotte Crown erased the lead with a 12-0 run; Kirsten Deans, Deja Kelly (20 points) fueled the comeback.
- Charlotte Crown pulled away in the third, outscoring Savannah 29-15; Que Morrison scored 16 but offense stalled late.
- Interim coach Toccara Ross praised the bigs' effort; team shows chemistry gains and begins an eight-game road trip at Jacksonville Waves July 31.
Savannah Steel fall to Charlotte Crown despite strong start
The Savannah Steel jump out to an early lead but can’t hold off the Charlotte Crown, falling 86-74 for their eighth straight loss.
SAVANNAH, Ga. —
The Savannah Steel couldn’t hold onto an early lead Friday night, falling 86-74 to the Charlotte Crown at Enmarket Arena.
Despite the loss, Savannah showed signs of renewed energy and chemistry, led by a strong interior performance from forward Zee Spearman, who finished with 27 points.
The Steel jumped out to a 19-9 lead after the first quarter behind aggressive play in the frontcourt. Spearman and Olivia Cochran helped Savannah control the paint while holding Charlotte to 17% shooting from the field.
“I feel like it was most definitely a post game today,” Spearman said. “I feel like we took advantage of that in the first half. What we’ve been working on is finally being shown.”
Charlotte responded in the second quarter, using a 12-0 run to erase Savannah’s lead. Kirsten Deans helped spark the Crown’s second unit, which Charlotte coach Trisha Stafford-Odom credited with shifting the momentum.
Deja Kelly led Charlotte with 20 points, while Lele Grissett added 16 points off the bench.
The Crown pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Savannah 29-15. Que Morrison scored 16 points for the Steel, but Savannah managed just 15 points in each of the final two quarters.
Savannah interim coach Toccara Ross praised the play of her frontcourt despite the team’s struggles in the second half.
“Our bigs were fantastic. They rose to the occasion today,” Ross said. “Z stepped up in ways that she could do every night if she wanted to. A lot of this comes down to them having to choose to be dominant or not, and tonight, with the loss, they still chose to be very dominant for us.”
Although the loss extended Savannah’s search for its first victory under Ross, the Steel said they are beginning to see progress in the team’s overall chemistry.
“I’m still proud of my team, even though we didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” Cochran said. “I feel like we’re taking steps to get our joy back in this game, and I feel like that’s what’s been holding us back.”
The Steel will try to earn their first win under Ross on Friday, July 31, when they begin an eight-game road trip against the Jacksonville Waves. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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