Next Game: at Auburn 1/12/2020 | 2 p.m. CT SEC Network+ 1230 AM/100.1 FM

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team fell in a hard-fought contest to No.14/14 Kentucky, 81-71, inside Coleman Coliseum on Thursday night. With the loss the Crimson Tide (10-6, 0-3 SEC) is still searching for its first conference win of the year, while the Wildcats (13-2, 2-1 SEC) picked up their second-straight Southeastern Conference victory.

Juniors Jasmine Walker and Ariyah Copeland each scored 15 points for the Tide. Walker had her third straight game scoring in double figures to go with her team-high eight rebounds. Redshirt junior Jordan Lewis added 11 points, while recording a season-high 7 assists.

Kentucky sophomore Rhyne Howard had a career night against the Tide with a career-high 43 points on 14-of-21 shooting and 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.

From Coach Curry

"I thought that we got off to a really good start and then outscored them by three in the second half, but then we had a really bad second quarter," said head coach Kristy Curry . "Rhyne Howard may be one of the best players I've ever seen and the players around her understand their role and do a great job of sharing the basketball. I thought that we really battled at times and then missed 13 layups. We were getting really good shots, we just have to finish them."

Quarter-By-Quarter

The Tide got off to a hot start taking the 15-9 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.

The Wildcats came back with a strong second quarter, outscoring Alabama 28-9. In the last five minutes of the quarter, UK went on a 22-6 run to give them a 37-24 advantage at the half.

The third quarter went back-and-forth with UA cutting Kentucky's lead to seven with 1:49 left in the third, but the Wildcats finished the quarter with a quick scoring run to take a 61-49 lead headed into the final 10 minutes of action.

After being down by 15, the Tide cut UK's lead to eight with 5:01 left to play but could not get any closer to the lead. The Wildcats held onto their 10-point lead for a final score of 81-71.

Player Spotlight

Walker shot well from beyond the arc with a 3-of-4 mark on her way to 15 points.

Copeland scored in double figures for the first time since returning from an ankle injury that sidelined her for two games.

Lewis' 11 points puts her at 973 for her career, while the seven dimes gives her 343 career assists, just nine away from moving up to No. 8 all-time at Alabama.

Stats of the Game

Alabama was strong around the basket, outscoring the Wildcats 38-10 in the paint.

UA also edged Kentucky on the boards, 35-32.

The Crimson Tide shot well in the second half, after knocking down 16-of-28 (57.1 percent) attempts from the floor.

Up Next

The Tide looks to get back on track when it plays rival Auburn on Sunday, Jan. 12, in Auburn Arena. The game is set to tipoff at 2 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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