Alabama
11-13, 3-8SEC
Kentucky
20-5, 7-4SEC
Alabama Falls to No. 17 Kentucky, 68-53
2/11/2019 8:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Freshman Megan Abrams scored 16 points in the loss
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team fell to No. 17 Kentucky, 68-53, on Monday evening inside Coleman Coliseum. With the loss, the Crimson Tide drops to 11-13 overall and 3-8 in the SEC, while the Wildcats improves to 20-5 overall and 7-4 in SEC action.
"I liked where we were at the half," head coach Kristy Curry said. "We obviously had some moments where we turned it over and then battled back to cut it to four at the half. It felt like in the third quarter the difference was that we lost them in transition and our communication broke down and they made us pay. So you look at the rebounds, to outrebound Kentucky 40-19 is a tremendous job. That's really a positive. But we lost it too many times in transition, didn't communicate and didn't have our matchups."
"You know, they're a really good team. We just turned the ball over too much tonight. You can't do that against a team like Kentucky because they'll make you pay."
The Crimson Tide was led by freshman Megan Abrams, who scored 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Junior Jasmine Walker notched her fifth career double-double, tossing in 12 points and pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds.
Both teams got out to slow starts to begin the game, but the scoring would heat up as Kentucky held a 15-13 lead after one.
The Wildcats opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run to increase its lead to 25-15 with 7:49 to play in the period. The Crimson Tide would respond with a run of their own, an 8-0 spurt that cut the Kentucky lead to 29-26 at the 2:49 mark of the second quarter.
With 0:38 remaining in the first half and Kentucky in front 33-26, senior Taylor Berry nailed a corner triple to cut the Wildcats' lead to 33-29, the eventual halftime score.
The Kentucky defense clamped down in the third quarter, sparking an 8-0 Wildcats run that extended their lead to 41-31 with 5:34 remaining in the third. Kentucky would end the quarter on an 11-4 run to carry a 52-35 lead into the game's final frame.
Alabama was unable to cut into the Wildcats' lead in the fourth, as Kentucky would go on to win the game, 68-53.
UA dominated the glass in the game, outrebounding the Wildcats 40-19. The Tide also grabbed 12 offensive boards.
The Tide will return to action on Sunday, Feb. 17 when it goes on the road to face Auburn. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
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