Nelson scores 25 points as No. 4 Alabama tops No. 8 Kentucky 102-97

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Grant Nelson had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 4 Alabama beat No. 8 Kentucky 102-97 on Saturday in a matchup of two of the top offensive teams in the country.

Nelson was 7 for 13 from the field and 9 for 10 at the line. He scored a total of 21 points in his previous three games.

Mark Sears scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half for Alabama (15-3, 4-1 SEC), which had five players score in double figures.

Kentucky (14-4, 3-2) had won two in a row since an 82-69 loss at Georgia. Otega Oweh had 21 points for the Wildcats, and Lamont Butler finished with 17 points and eight assists.

Kentucky grabbed a 56-52 lead on Brandon Garrison’s dunk with 16:13 left. But Alabama responded with a 14-2 run.

Sears started the big sequence with a jumper. He also picked up an assist when Aden Holloway’s 3-pointer made it 66-58 with 12:33 remaining.

Takeaways

Alabama: The Tide went 29 for 34 at the line, helping the team hold on down the stretch.

Kentucky: The Wildcats struggled to come up with a defensive stop at key moments throughout the game.

Key moment

After Garrison’s dunk tied it at 81, Labaron Philon had five points in a 9-0 run for Alabama.

Key stat

Alabama forced Kentucky, one of the nation’s top 3-point shooting teams, to drive inside much of the second half. Alabama went 13 for 34 from behind the arc, compared to 11 for 27 for Kentucky.

Up next

Alabama hosts Vanderbilt on Tuesday. Kentucky has a week off before going to Vanderbilt next Saturday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball