Kentucky WBB extends SEC Tournament run in 71-58 win over Alabama
Ever had déjà vu? Same.
Kentucky women’s basketball is back at it again with another SEC Tournament run after stunning No. 6 seed Alabama 71-58 on Thursday evening. The win is the Cats’ second of the tournament after defeating Florida 72-57 on Wednesday night. By the way, Kentucky, the No. 14 seed in the field, had lost seven-straight contests before the conference tourney.
Jada Walker was undoubtedly the difference-maker for the Cats. The sophomore guard dropped a career-high 24 points, seven assists and six steals while shooting 11-16 from the field and 2-2 from deep.
As a team, Kentucky shot a fantastic 27-54 (50%) from the field and 5-14 (38%) from beyond the arc. The hot hands were warmed by spicy dishes. Kentucky recorded 19 assists after dishing out 17 assists on Wednesday evening. The Cats are cooking in March.
Jada Walker is fantastic in the first half
It took Walker two seconds to make her mark on the game, ripping an Alabama player immediately after tip-off. The 5-foot-7 guard didn’t stop there. Walker finished with 13 points in the first half on 6-8 shooting, including a highlight behind-the-back assist.
Walker wasn’t the only one who got off to a streaky start. Alabama, which shoots 38.7% from beyond the arc, drained its first three attempts from deep. Worse, Kentucky starting forward Adebola Adeyeye picked up her second foul with 47 seconds remaining in the first period.
All the static combined for the Crimson Tide to storm ahead with a 20-15 lead at the end of the first frame. Nonetheless, Kentucky refused to sit in shock. The team firmly planted itself on defense, recording five first-half blocks.
Kentucky’s defensive stand squeezed a two-and-a-half-minute scoring drought out of Alabama. However, the Cats responded with a dry spell of their own, failing to score in the final two minutes of the half.
Adding insult to injury, Kentucky leading scorer Robyn Benton finished the first 20 minutes with a rough zero points while shooting 0-5 from the field. The Cats needed to lick their wounds at halftime, trailing Alabama 32-26.
Kentucky fights back for the win
Betting isn’t legal in Kentucky, but Elzy took a gamble early in the third quarter. After Benton picked up her third foul with eight minutes remaining in the period, Elzy benched her… Only to quickly put her back in. It didn’t take long for the decision to haunt Elzy.
Benton picked up her fourth foul with just under four minutes left in the period. This time Benton would not return in the third period. Nevertheless, Kentucky carried on courageously. Fueled by 14 points between Maddie Scherr and Walker, the Cats chopped away a 10-point Alabama lead to trail 45-44 at the end of the third quarter.
Kentucky didn’t allow its momentum to dissipate. The Cats scored again to take their first lead since the beginning of the game. They never looked back. Kentucky made seven of its next eight field goals to take a secure six-point lead.
Eniya Russell fueled the scoring surge with back-to-back 3-pointers. For reference, the South Carolina transfer had made one 3-pointer through all of conference play. Add on Scherr’s nine points in the fourth quarter and Kentucky walked away with a shocking 71-58 upset.
As much as Kentucky did well, the Crimson Tide’s performance will haunt them. The team shot 1-10 (10%) from the free-throw line. Moreover, Alabama recorded 19 turnovers, which Kentucky scored 22 points off of.
As for the Cats, they shot 12-13 (92%) from the charity stripe. When the game wasn’t stopped by a foul, it moved at break-neck speed. Kentucky scored 18 points in the fastbreak against the Tide.
Following Walker’s lead, Scherr and Russell scored double figures. Scherr recorded 19 points and four assists, scoring 14 in the second half. Russell added 12 points in 17 minutes, as well.
In March style, Kentucky can’t rest for long. The Cats will square off against No. 3 seed Tennessee on Friday at approximately 8:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard