On June 24, the St. Louis Surge beat the Kansas City Crossover in their first home game of the season. The cross-state matchup had both teams looking for their first win of the 2023 season.

The Surge put on a show in front of their home crowd, winning 96 to 55. Four Surge players walked away from the game scoring in double digits. Rookie guard Jade Loville led the way for St. Louis with 33 points. She was shooting 84% from the field making 13 of her 19 attempts and was 6 for 10 from behind the three point line. Along with some outstanding shooting, Loville had the second most rebounds, grabbing nine boards and also dished out four assists.

According to Loville, St. Louis’ fan base and reputation of an exciting  atmosphere was something she was excited to experience when she signed to play for the Surge.

“I had been looking forward to playing a home game ever since I got on the phone with (Petra Jackson),” Loville said. “It was exactly how she described it. The energy was high all 40 minutes, on offense, on defense and during timeouts. It definitely fueled me and the team to keep our foot on the gas.”

Rachel McLimore was the second leading scorer for St. Louis with 14 points. This home opener was the first professional start for the rookie from Butler University. She went 3 for 5 from three point range, shooting 60%. She had five assists and four rebounds as well.

 McLimore also had three steals which tied with Loville for the most steals on the night for the Surge. St. Louis had 16 steals as an entire team and forced KC to turn the ball over 24 times.

Returning guard Abbey Hoff added 12 points and Kelsey McClure had 10 points. McClure, in her fifth season with the Surge, is establishing herself as a veteran leader on the team. She had six assists while Shug Dickson led the team with seven assists.

Kansas City entered the competition 0-4. They were seeking their first win for the inaugural season as a professional team. They came out to a strong start, scoring the first two baskets of the game and leading by four in the first quarter. TrEl’Shawn Smith had a breakout performance for the Crossover, scoring in double digits for the first time in her professional career. The guard from Columbia, Missouri put up 17 points in her 29 minutes of play. She was trailed by her teammate De’Jionae Calloway who had 15 points. Calloway has been leading the KC in points per game averaging 10.8 in the first five games of the season. Calloway had 12 rebounds, finishing the game as the only player with a double-double from either team. 

The Surge was happy to pick up their first victory of the 2023 season and defend their home court.

 The next game will also be at home in the Mabee Gymnasium on the campus of Fontbonne University. St. Louis will face off against the Windy City Lady Ballers on Saturday, July 8th. Tip off for this game is at 6:05p.m.

 

St. Louis Surge Mission

Beyond the game, the Surge is redefining winning, through community engagement, leadership and education. 

 

For more information about the St. Louis Surge, visit www.stlsurgebasketball.com. Follow the Surge on Facebook, Tiktok, and Instagram.