FINAL: Kentucky WBB falls to Alabama 91-74 to end road trip

After Kentucky women’s basketball had to eat a 27-point loss in Fayetteville, they ended their road trip in Tuscaloosa, looking to head back to Lexington in the win column.

This was a sloppy one from beginning to end. Both teams were battling, scratching and clawing for the momentum (the tide, if you will). Alabama started the game 0-6 from deep, but that didn’t stop them from fighting the good fight. In the end, Alabama won this one 91-74. Kentucky falls to 9-12 (2-5 SEC) on the season.

The top performer in this game (for Kentucky, at least) was Saniah Tyler. The sophomore guard started the game on fire, making three triples to get nine early points. She would end the day with 14 points on 5-10 (50.0%) shooting. This was Tyler’s eighth game of the season with at least three three-pointers made. She continues to be one a viable scoring option on this team.

Amiya Jenkins and Brooklynn Miles were the only other players in blue and white to put up any real effort against the Tide. They combined for 27 points, shooting 11-19 (57.9%) from the field. Unfortunately, their good shooting didn’t translate to the rest of the team. However, it is nice to see them seeing success here in the dog days of the SEC gauntlet. Of course, despite all of that, Kentucky couldn’t get the win.

Final. pic.twitter.com/OFS1Qk4Rvs

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) January 29, 2024

This game started off in back-and-forth fashion. At the end of the first quarter, Kentucky led 20-16. It seemed like the ‘Cats were going to finally be able to take advantage of their opponent when the iron was hot. Maybe Kentucky could swell the lead and come back to Lexington with a convincing win. Well, the second quarter was a different story. Alabama outscored Kentucky 30-16 in the second period of play, and Kentucky was down by double-digits at the half.

From there, Kentucky was just never able to recover. Out of nowhere, Alabama had hit Kentucky with a haymaker to deliver the knockout blow. Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker was practically untouchable as she would erupt for 34 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals. As for Kentucky, the offense was (again) stagnant and the defense was unmotivated. When you put those two things together, you get a blowout loss like we saw on Sunday.

Up next for the ‘Cats is Mississippi State (16-5; 3-3 SEC) back in Rupp Arena. Last season, Kentucky narrowly lost to the Bulldogs 77-76 as Robyn Benton’s 24-point outing wasn’t enough to put UK on top. If Kentucky were to lose against Mississippi State on Thursday, that would mark Kentucky’s third losing streak of at least three games this season.