The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team advanced to the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals with a 71-58 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday night. The Wildcats overcame a slow start and a six-point halftime deficit to dominate the second half and secure the win.
Sophomore guard Jada Walker led the way for Kentucky, scoring a career-high 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting while also adding seven assists, three rebounds, and six steals in 38 minutes of action. Junior guard Maddie Scherr contributed 19 points, three rebounds, four assists, and a career-high six blocks in 40 minutes, while junior guard Eniya Russell came off the bench to score 12 points in 17 minutes.
It was a back-and-forth first quarter with lots of offense for both teams, as Alabama led 15-13 at the first media timeout. Walker came out strong, scoring six points and starting 3-of-3 from the field with three assists and two steals in the first six minutes of the game. However, Alabama outscored Kentucky 5-2 after the media timeout, holding the Wildcats without a field goal for the final 4:27 of the quarter. The Tide shot 67 percent from the field in the quarter, while Kentucky shot 43 percent and was 0-for-5 from 3.
Alabama extended its lead to 36-26 early in the third quarter, but Scherr and Walker led a 14-4 Kentucky run to tie the game at 40-40 with just over two minutes to go in the quarter. Alabama hit a 3-pointer to take the lead back, but Kentucky won the fourth quarter 18-13 to close the gap and secure the victory.
Kentucky shot 50 percent from the field for the game, marking the fourth time this season they’ve shot over 50 percent and remaining undefeated in those games. The Wildcats won the points in the paint battle 34-28 and the fast-break battle 18-4, while forcing Alabama into 19 turnovers and scoring 22 points off those miscues.
The win extends Kentucky’s SEC Tournament winning streak to six, which is the longest streak in program history. They now have a 43-42 all-time record in the tournament and a 36-18 all-time series lead over Alabama.
Kentucky, now 12-18 overall, will face No. 3 Tennessee in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday, March 3 at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on SEC Network and on the UK Sports Network, with Darren Headrick on the call.
