Steel’s second-half rally falls short in 76-65 loss to Crown

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —

The Savannah Steel erased a nine-point halftime deficit and took the lead with a dominant third quarter, but the Charlotte Crown pulled away late for a 76-65 victory.

Savannah entered the game looking to end a nine-game losing streak and earn its first victory under interim coach Toccara Ross. Playing for the second consecutive night, the Steel were without Olivia Cochran and Zee Spearman, who scored 27 points in the teams’ previous meeting.

Charlotte extended its winning streak to six games behind a 33-point performance from Reigan Richardson.

Lauryn Taylor provided Savannah with an early spark, scoring the Steel’s first five points and seven of their first 10. Alisia Jenkins also contributed early after being held scoreless against Jacksonville the previous night.

The Crown used its depth to build an 18-10 lead by the end of the first quarter, with seven Charlotte players scoring during the period.

Najai Pollard gave the Steel productive minutes off the bench in the second quarter, making all three of her field-goal attempts and scoring six points. Ja’Leah Williams also pressured Charlotte’s defense with drives to the basket.

Turnovers prevented Savannah from cutting further into the deficit, however, and Charlotte took a 33-24 lead into halftime.

The Steel responded with their strongest stretch of the game in the third quarter. Savannah opened the second half with a 10-4 run before surging ahead 40-37, forcing Charlotte coach Trisha Stafford-Odom to call a timeout with 5:30 remaining in the period.

Led by Taylor, who had 19 points at that stage, Savannah outscored Charlotte 26-14 in the quarter and entered the fourth with a 50-47 advantage.

Charlotte quickly tied the game at 50 before taking control behind Richardson. Jenkins drew fouls and reached the free-throw line for Savannah, but the Crown used a late 21-8 run to build a 68-58 lead with just over three minutes remaining.

Charlotte outscored Savannah 29-15 in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

The Steel will face the Crown again Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m.