Kentucky WBB falters in second half in 72-65 loss to Alabama

Rhyne Howard’s return to Memorial Coliseum is a night she won’t soon forget. But Kentucky women’s basketball can’t wipe Thursday night from their minds quickly enough.

After a week of rest, the Wildcats fell 72-65 to the Alabama Crimson Tide despite their sideline guest star. It is Kentucky’s second loss in a row, dropping them to 11th place in the conference. If there was anything positive to take from UK’s loss, it was Jada Walker’s performance.

Walker led the team with 15 and two steals. In the face of the guard’s solid numbers, it was still a troublesome night. In 32 minutes, Walker shot 5-16 from the field and 1-5 from beyond the arc. Her performance was the tip of the iceberg for the Cats.

As a team, UK shot 24-62 (39%) from the field and 7-21 (33%) from 3-point land. Kentucky recorded 13 assists compared to Alabama’s 16. The Crimson Tide simply outplayed Kentucky. The reality hurts worse when you realize the ‘Cats had a sizzling start.

Kentucky bursts out of the starting gates

A Kentucky legend was on the sideline, but Walker was the best player on the floor early. The sophomore guard racked up nine points on perfect shooting from the field in the first quarter alone. The Cats’ defense did all it could to best Walker’s performance.

Due to Kentucky’s suffocating strategies, Alabama missed nine-straight shots in the first period, an unusual event for a top-10 three-point shooting team in the nation. Kentucky answered with a 9-0 run to close the quarter and took a 20-15 lead in the second frame.

TOO GOOD.@jadawalkr11#GameOn pic.twitter.com/usxiPPqxYf

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) February 10, 2023

The ‘Cats kept the party going early in the second, rattling off another six unanswered points. Unfortunately for UK, Alabama guard Hannah Barber wasn’t having as much fun. The 5-foot-6 guard drained three-straight baskets from deep to cut Kentucky’s lead to a mere two points.

The hot hand spread like wildfire. The Crimson Tide ended the first half with eight three-pointers under their belt on just 18 attempts. While Alabama found success from outside, Kentucky thrived down low. The ‘Cats tripled Alabama’s first-half paint points to take a narrow 33-31 lead into halftime.

Wildcats fall apart in the second half

In the second half, Kentucky looked like a different team, just not in the way fans were hoping. The ‘Cats were scoreless through the first three minutes of the third quarter. Despite eventually finding a basket, the team’s struggles continued, scoring only nine points in the third frame.

When it rains, it pours. Except this time, the only thing raining down on the Cats was Alabama three-pointers. Alabama sunk another two buckets from downtown to stroll into the final period ahead 49-42.

A few more snapshots from Rhyne Howard's triumphant return: pic.twitter.com/kjKQ1UEOix

— Grant Grubbs (@grant_grubbs_) February 10, 2023

The Wildcats’ offensive woes persisted in the final 10 minutes of the battle. Kentucky shot a poor 10-34 (29%) from the field in the second half. Worse, the ‘Cats repeatedly threw the rock into the hands of the Tide as if the ball had done them wrong.

UK committed 10 turnovers in the second half with sloppy play after sloppy play. Despite a late 7-0 run, Kentucky couldn’t squeeze out enough late-game steals necessary for a comeback. When the final horn blew, Alabama walked away with a 72-65 victory.

Surprisingly, the two teams’ final statistics were similar. Alabama had 18 turnovers. Kentucky had 17. Both squads grabbed 33 boards. Neither team’s bench stood out above the other. Plainly put, Alabama shot the ball better.

The Tide connected on 13-28 (46%) attempts from outside while UK found just seven baskets from range. The Wildcats nearly doubled Alabama’s points in the paint, but, as the old saying goes: “3’s are better than 2’s.”

Robyn Benton and Maddie Scherr also scored double figures along with Walker. Benton recorded 14 points on 5-14 shooting — nine of those points came in the fourth quarter. Scherr added 11 points on 4-9 shooting.

Kentucky won’t have the luxury of a seven-day rest before its next game this time. On Monday, the ‘Cats will take on Ole Miss on the road at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.