No. 4 Alabama ends losing skid with sweep of No. 17 Kentucky

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 4 Alabama got back in the win column on Saturday afternoon, ending a 2-game losing skid and beating No. 17 Kentucky 96-83. The win moves the Crimson Tide to 22-5 on the season, 11-3 in the SEC.

The win locked up a season sweep of the Wildcats, the first time Alabama has swept Kentucky since 2021 and the first time in front of full crowds since 1989.

Alabama went with the same starting lineup for the second straight game, starting Labaron Philon, Mark Sears, Chris Youngblood, Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Alabama scored the first bucket of the game, taking a lead for the first time in two full games. From there, Kentucky got off to an extremely hot start from deep, making four of its first six shots from beyond the arc. The Wildcats held a 7-point lead at the game’s first media timeout, leading 16-9.

The hot Kentucky start led to an 11-point early lead for the Wildcats, leading 20-9 just a few minutes into the game. Alabama responded with a 7-0 run over two minutes, with Sears making some huge plays to get the Crimson Tide back in it. Kentucky still lead at the game’s under-12 timeout, but the lead was down to 20-16.

Kentucky kept Alabama at arm’s length for a while, but the Crimson Tide battled back. A 15-2 Alabama run over an extended 4-minute stretch finally gave it the lead back, 33-32, with about five minutes to go in the first half, prompting another Wildcat timeout.

The Crimson Tide kept pushing its lead heading into halftime, with Aden Holloway knocking down some huge threes in the process. Alabama lead 47-40 at the break, having outscored Kentucky 29-10 since trailing 30-18 with under 10 minutes to go in the half.

Sears led all scorers at halftime with 15, while Holloway was close behind with 12.

The two teams paced each other out of the gate in the second half, neither side going on a run in the opening minutes of the frame. Kentucky hit a corner three just before the first media timeout of the half, cutting the lead down to 53-49.

Alabama continued to hold Kentucky off, keeping the Wildcats just out of reach approaching the midway point in the second half. A nice and-one from Labaron Philon, who’d otherwise had a forgettable night, gave the Tide a 5-point lead with 10 minutes to go in the game.

Holloway continued his stellar game, and Youngblood got in on the action with a big-time corner three and some free throws that were a part of an 8-0 Alabama run, giving the Crimson Tide it’s biggest lead of the game with about six minutes to play. Alabama lead by 12, 80-68, as Pope called timeout with five minutes left.

That cushion was enough for Alabama to ride until the final buzzer.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Mark Sears — 30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

Aden Holloway — 19 points, 4 rebounds

Cliff Omoruyi — 11 points, 15 rebounds

WHAT’S NEXT

Alabama will be back at home for the second straight game, taking on No. 21 Mississippi State in Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday night. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

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