Alabama’s Grant Nelson put up a season-high 25 points and snagged 11 rebounds, propelling the No. 4-ranked Crimson Tide to a thrilling 102-97 triumph over the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats in a high-intensity Southeastern Conference showdown at Lexington, Ky. on Saturday afternoon.
Mark Sears also delivered an impressive performance with 24 points and nine assists, contributing significantly to Alabama’s victory as they improved to a 15-3 overall record and a 4-1 mark in SEC play. This win marked the Crimson Tide’s ninth triumph in their last ten games.
Labaron Philon chimed in with 15 points, while Clifford Omoruyi added 12 points and seven rebounds. Chris Youngblood rounded out the notable performances for Alabama with 10 points. The victory was particularly significant as it marked the 12th win for the Crimson Tide in 72 visits to Lexington.
On the opposing side, Otega Oweh led the scoring for Kentucky with 21 points before fouling out. Lamont Butler contributed 17 points and eight assists, and Amari Williams posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds before also fouling out. Brandon Garrison and Jaxson Robinson added 11 points each, while Ansley Almonor and Koby Brea chipped in with 10 points apiece for the Wildcats.
The highly anticipated matchup lived up to its offensive expectations, with Alabama showcasing their prowess as the nation’s top-scoring team, averaging 89.5 points per game, closely followed by Kentucky at 88.7 points per game. Alabama shot 44.8% from the field and drained 13 of 34 attempts from beyond the arc, while Kentucky shot 47.9%, including 11 of 27 from long range.
The game remained tightly contested, with the score tied at 81 before Alabama surged ahead with a crucial nine-point run. Youngblood and Philon buried consecutive 3-pointers to extend Alabama’s lead to 90-81 with just under three minutes remaining. Despite Kentucky’s efforts to mount a comeback, Alabama maintained their composure, led by Sears who sunk three critical free throws to secure the victory.
Nelson’s dominant first-half performance set the tone for Alabama as they held a narrow 47-45 lead at halftime. The Crimson Tide started strong, jumping to an early 18-9 advantage after Aden Holloway’s three-pointer with 15:12 left in the opening half. However, the Wildcats responded with a 25-10 run, propelled by Oweh’s scoring output, to take a 34-28 lead with 7:24 remaining.
Alabama staged a comeback of their own, outscoring Kentucky 19-7 to close the first half with a 47-41 lead following Philon’s three-pointer.
The back-and-forth nature of the game continued into the second half, with both teams trading blows
