Jan. 27, 2002
Lexington, Ky. – Kentucky battled back from a 14-point second half deficit, but could not hold off Alabama in the closing seconds, falling 61-58 at Memorial Coliseum on Sunday.
The Wildcats (8-12, 1-7 Southeastern Conference), sparked by a 21-2 run in the second period, led by as many as five points with ten minutes to play, but Shondra Johnson’s 17 second-half points for the Crimson Tide (13-7, 3-4 SEC) proved to much for UK.
“I’m very proud of our basketball team today,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “Our players made the necessary adjustments which really showed maturity and growth. This team fought hard and battled out there, we just came up short.”
Senior LaTonya McDole scored a team-high 15 points for the Cats, who dropped their sixth-straight SEC game since defeating Alabama, 63-62, in Tuscaloosa on Jan. 6. McDole scored in double figures for the first time in five games and her 15 points tied a season-high set against Louisville on Dec. 20. Freshman Sara Potts, suffering through a foot injury, tossed in 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor, including a season-high four three-pointers.
“I’m sore but I had to step up and play today,” Potts said. “My teammates made good passes and got the ball to me when I was open for the shot. I wish a few more would have went down, we would have won the game.”
Alabama (13-7, 3-4 SEC) held UK leading scorer SeSe Helm to a season-low eight points, breaking a 19-game double-digit scoring streak. Helm had a game-high 23 points against the Tide in Tuscaloosa.
“Our game plan was to not let anyone have a career-night on us,” Alabama Coach Rick Moody said. “SeSe (Helm) killed us in Tuscaloosa so every time she touched the ball we had two people on her.”
Johnson led all scorers with 21 points, connecting on 11-of-13 attempts from the charity stripe. The senior guard nailed two free throws with 24 seconds left, giving UA the 59-58 edge and a lead it would not relinquish. Beth Vice, the 1998 Kentucky Miss Basketball from Mt. Sterling, Ky., was the only other Bama player in double figures. She put up 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting and drained two key free throws with three seconds remaining in the game to secure the 61-58 victory. The three-point margin continues the tradition of close games between the Cats and the Tide, as the past six games have been decided by seven points or less.
“It was a typical Kentucky versus Alabama game,” Moody said. “The two teams refused to give up and Shondra (Johnson) made big-time shots to reestablish our momentum. I’m proud of our team to come through in the clutch and win on the road.”
Alabama leads the all-time series 14-12 and snaps a two-game losing streak against the Cats when playing in Lexington. UK is 6-4 against the Tide in Memorial Coliseum.
Kentucky will have seven days to prepare for the 17th-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs who will visit Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. ET.
