Alabama Crimson Tide Secures Fourth Straight Victory Over Kentucky

The 14th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide extended their winning streak over the Kentucky Wildcats with a decisive 89-74 victory at Coleman Coliseum. This marks the fourth consecutive win for Bama against UK, continuing a trend that has seen them dominate the Cats in recent seasons. The Tide improved to 11-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Kentucky fell to 9-5 and 0-1.

Alabama welcomed back Labaron Philon and London Jemison from injury, though Taylor Bol Bowen missed his second game due to an ankle injury. Coach Nate Oats opted for a starting lineup of Philon, Aden Holloway, Latrell Wrightsell, Amari Allen, and Aiden Sherrell. Kentucky countered with Otega Owen, Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler, Malachi Moreno, and former Alabama player Mo Dioubate, who was met with boos from the crowd upon entering the game.

Kentucky started strong with a 5-0 lead before Alabama began to find its rhythm. Amari Allen scored a three-pointer and a basket in the paint to tie the game at 5-5 with 17:58 remaining in the first half. Houston Mallette entered the game and immediately hit a long-range shot, followed by a triple from Holloway. Wrightsell added another three-pointer, and Bama took a 24-16 lead with 9:23 left. Mallette hit another three, and Sherrell made a three-point play for a 30-16 advantage at the 7:35 mark.

Allen suffered an ankle injury while going for a rebound and limped out of the game. Jemison, still recovering from his own injury, came in but was not at full strength. Soon after, Sherrell went down with a knee injury and was escorted to the locker room. Noah Williamson stepped in to fill the void, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring on a put-back. Mallette hit his fourth three-pointer of the half, and Holloway closed the first half with a buzzer-beating long-range shot for a 50-34 lead.

Alabama shot 17-33 in the first half, including 10-22 from three-point range, and hit 6-9 free throws. The Tide grabbed 21 rebounds, dished out 11 assists, had two blocks, three steals, and committed five turnovers. Holloway led the way with 16 points and three assists, while Mallette was 4-4 from deep, scoring 14 points with three rebounds. Allen contributed five points and five rebounds, while Philon struggled with just two points in 12 minutes.

Kentucky shot 11-29 (38%) and made only 2-9 from three-point range, hitting 10-15 from the free throw line. Owen led the team with 13 points, while Jaland added seven. Dioubate scored four points and led the team with five rebounds.

In the second half, Keitenn Bristow replaced the injured Sherrell in the starting lineup. The Tide started slowly, allowing the lead to shrink to 55-45 with 16:30 left. Holloway hit a long-range jumper to push the lead back to 58-45. Kentucky relied heavily on free throws, with a 22-7 advantage at that point. Allen showed resilience, returning to the game despite his ankle injury and hitting a three-pointer to extend the lead to 63-49.

Williamson, given more playing time, displayed flashes of the ability that earned him the Patriot League Player of the Year last season. He grabbed rebounds, stole balls, and made moves to score on a reverse layup. Kentucky cut the lead to 79-70 with just over five minutes left, but Philon began to find his scoring touch. With 3:20 left, Holloway hit a 40-foot three-pointer for an 84-70 lead. Philon, Holloway, and Williamson closed out the game with free throws and a dunk for an 89-74 win.

Alabama shot 14-34 in the second half, including 5-16 from three-point range, and hit 6-9 free throws. Overall, the Tide finished 31-67 (46%), 15-38 (40%) from three-point range, and 12-16 (75%) at the free throw line. They won the rebound battle with 41 total, 14 offensively, and had 17 assists, three blocks, eight steals, and 10 turnovers. Holloway was named player of the game with 26 points, shooting 7-11 from the field and 6-8 from three-point range. Philon added 17 points, while Mallette finished with 14 points and five rebounds. Allen earned the Hard Hat Award with 11 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Williamson recorded 10 points in a season-high 18 minutes.

Kentucky shot 14-30 in the second half, including 2-10 from three-point range, and made 10-14 free throws. Overall, the Cats shot 25-59 (42%) and 4-19 from three-point range, while making 20-29 free throws. Owen and Lowe were the only double-digit scorers with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Dioubate scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds in his homecoming game.

Despite injuries and absences, Alabama continued its dominance over Kentucky. Coach Oats praised the team’s resilience, noting that Jemison is not close to 100%. Williamson’s performance in Sherrell’s absence was encouraging, and the team remains focused on the next challenge.

Next up, Alabama will face Vanderbilt, currently ranked 11th and undefeated in conference play. The game will be held at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville on Wednesday, January 7th, at 8 p.m. CT, and will be broadcast on ESPN2.