The first splash for the Jacksonville Waves came up just short as they fell 103-95 to the Charlotte Crowns.
The Waves started the contest of plenty of energy, scoring 33 first quarter points and riding the excitement of the sold-out home crowd at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
But a late surge by the Crowns and a 31-point outing from Deja Kelly calmed the tide. Kelly made 9-of-23 shots from the floor but sunk 13 of her 17 attempts at the free throw line.
The Crowns as a whole shot 23-of-34 from the free throw line for the game, making 15 trips to the foul line in the final period and scoring 10 points.
However, head coach Jessican Bogia saw a different reason the game slipped away late for Jacksonville.
“I think the biggest thing was our rebounding, period. We were nonexistent on the offensive glass,” she said after the game. “They killed us in second chance opportunity. Unfortunately, it’s an easy correctable thing, but it stinks to have done that on opening night.”
The Waves were outrebounded 42-30 in the loss with Charlotte grabbing 15 offensive rebounds. The Crowns scored 14 second chance points and had 52 points in the paint.
“It didn’t turn out how we wanted to, but glad we have things that we can get in the gym and correct,” guard Ariel Hearn said after the game.
Jacksonville Waves deliver on atmosphere, have strong debut despite loss
The inaugural game of the UpShot League delivered on all fronts. The action on the court was fast paced and high-scoring, keeping the attention of fans throughout the contest.
The environment was electric as fans poured into all sides of the arena, donning blue shirts that were given to commemorate the first game.
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen came to the game with his wife, showing support to his sports complex neighbors and chatting with fans who came up to speak with him.
“I thought the environment was great out there. These fans, the city of Jacksonville, showed up, they showed out,” Bogia said. “The players were extremely grateful. I know I surely was. We just want to continue this.
“Women’s basketball is having a wave right now. We want to be riding that momentum, and we hope Jacksonville continues to show up and show out for us. And we promise to put a couple more (wins) in the column for them next time.”
The Waves will face the Crowns in Charlotte on May 21 before returning to Jacksonville for a matchup with the Greensboro Groove on May 23.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Deja Kelly scores 31, Jacksonville Waves lose first game of Upshot League