Kentucky Rolls Past Alabama, 78-53

The Alabama men’s basketball team (16-11, 7-8 Southeastern Conference) dropped a road contest at No. 16/14 Kentucky (21-7, 11-4 SEC) on Tuesday night, 78-53.

The Crimson Tide was cold from the field throughout the first half, making only six of its 23 attempts. The Wildcats finished the opening 20 minutes 11-for-29, adding 10 points from the foul line. Alabama held an early 7-5 lead, but would go nearly eight minutes without a field goal as Kentucky took the lead. After sophomore Riley Norris drained a three-pointer to end the drought, the Tide was held without a made baskets for another eight minutes. The Wildcats built a 16-point margin in the final minute of the half before back-to-back layups by sophomore Justin Coleman and senior Retin Obasohan trimmed the deficit to 33-21 at the break.

The two teams played even in the opening minutes of the second half before Kentucky pulled away. Alabama shot the ball much better in the half, finishing 11-of-25 from the floor. However, the Wildcats shot a blistering 16-for-30 (53.3 percent) in the period coupled with 12-of-15 at the charity stripe. Kentucky scored a total of 40 points in the paint and held a 41-29 rebounding advantage for the game.

Obasohan finished with a game-high 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He was also 10-for-12 at the free throw line. Freshman Donta Hall brought down eight rebounds to lead the team.

Next up, Alabama returns home to take on the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, Feb. 27. The game is set for a 4 p.m. CT tip and will air live on the SEC Network.

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