John Petty Jr. scored 23 points, including four of Alabama’s 14 3-pointers, Jaden Shackleford added 18 points and Alabama never trailed Kentucky to earn an 85-65 rout Tuesday night in a matchup of the Southeastern Conference’s top two unbeaten teams.
The Crimson Tide (10-3, 5-0 SEC) won their fifth consecutive game to remain atop the conference. They never trailed, and after the second-place Wildcats tied the game at 17-all, soon answered with consecutive 3s by Shackleford, Petty and Alex Reese (eight points) to regain the lead for good. The Tide led 67-47 with 6:49 remaining.
Isaiah Jackson had 14 points off the bench for the Cats, Devin Askew 12 points and Keion Brooks Jr. 10 for Kentucky (4-7, 3-1), which had won its previous three contests.
The Wildcats controlled the boards 44-36 and recorded nine blocks but played catchup throughout against Alabama’s outside shooting and fast pace. They finished 21 of 61 from the field, including 4 of 18 from long range.
