No. 8 Kentucky Falls to No. 4 Alabama
No. 8 Kentucky had seven players in double figures, but the Cats lost to fourth-ranked Alabama 102-97 on Saturday at Rupp Arena.
Otega Oweh led the Cats with 21points and Lamont Butler had 15 points and eight assists. Amari Williams had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Brandon Garrison and Jaxson Robinson each had 11. Koby Brea and Ansley Almonor each had 10 points for the Cats.
Kentucky (14-4, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) had more second-chance points (20-15), bench points (31-24) and points in the paint (44-34). However, Alabama made 29 of 34 at the free throw line, compared to just 16 of 20 for UK.
Alabama (15-3, 4-1) scored first but Kentucky answered with an Oweh putback to tie the game at 2-2. The Cats took the lead on an Williams basket and extended the advantage on a three from Robinson, which made it 7-2 early.
Alabama responded with an 11-0 run, taking a 13-7 lead in the process. A Butler layup stopped the run and got the Cats within four. The Tide scored the next five points before a Brea three made it 18-12.
After another Alabama basket, Robinson hit a three to get the Cats within five, 20-15. The Tide would take a 24-17 lead but Kentucky had an answer. Oweh hit a pair of free throws and Garrison scored on a fast break layup, making it 24-21. After a Tide basket, Almonor and Garrison each hit threes and Kentucky took the lead, 27-26, with 11:06 left in the half.
Williams made one of two at the line, giving the Cats a 28-26 lead, but Alabama answered with two free throws, tying the game at 28 apiece. A tough Williams basket in the lane gave the Cats a 30-28 lead. That was the beginning of six straight points that gave UK a 34-28 lead.
The Cats would lead 38-32 before Alabama went on a 12-2 run to grab a 44-40 advantage with 1:52 left in the half. The Tide would lead 47-45 after 20 minutes of action.
Alabama scored the first points of the second half, but Kentucky scored the next five on a three from Butler and an Oweh bucket in the lane, the latter of which gave UK a 50-49 lead. Oweh scored again, making it 52-49 before the Tide tied the game on a three.
An Andrew Carr layup gave the Cats a 54-52 advantage. A Garrison dunk extended the lead to four, but Alabama scored the next four to tie the game again, this time at 56-56. A Butler dunk gave UK a 58-56 lead, but Alabama scored the next 10 points and took a 66-58 lead. A Brea basket got the Cats within six, 66-60.
After an Alabama free throw, the Cats got a steal and layup from Oweh and a three from Brea to get within two, 67-65. The Tide would extend the lead to 76-69 before Oweh hit a three from the corner to get the Cats within four. A Robinson runner in the lane got UK within two, but an Alabama three-point play gave the Tide a 79-74 advantage.
Carr made two free throws, getting the Cats within three. That was the beginning of a 7-2 run that tied the game at 81-81. However, the Tide scored the next nine points and the Cats were unable to get over that hump.
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, facing Vanderbilt in Nashville. Tipoff is set for 2:30 and the game can be seen on ESPN.
