The Alabama men’s basketball team fell to Kentucky, 81-71, in a hard-fought battle Saturday afternoon inside a packed Rupp Arena. The loss snapped a two-game win streak for the Crimson Tide (17-10, 8-6 SEC), while the Wildcats (18-9, 7-7 SEC) picked up their first win in five games.

Four Alabama players scored in double figures as junior Donta Hall led the charge with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. The other double-digit scorers were all freshmen, as John Petty put up 13 points, Collin Sexton contributed 12, while Alex Reese matched his career high of 10 points off the bench in the first half.

After the game saw eight ties and 15 lead changes, Kentucky’s dominant performance on the glass, 44-27, and its aggressive defensive efforts, which translated to an advantage in points off of turnovers (18-8) and second chance points (20-11), gave the Wildcats the edge to go on a 7-2 run down the stretch to secure the win.

Up next, Alabama will travel to take on rival Auburn on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. It will be the second game between the two teams this season. The Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers, 76-71, back on Jan. 17 in the first meeting between the teams this season.

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