Kentucky pulls away late to top Alabama
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DeNesha Stallworth and Samarie Walker each recorded a double-double as No. 6 Kentucky downed Alabama, 87-70, on Sunday.
Stallworth finished with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Walker added 15 points and 13 boards for the Wildcats (14-1, 2-0 SEC), who saw each of their starters score in double digits.
A'dia Mathies recorded 17 points, Bria Goss poured in 12 and Jennifer O'Neill scored 11 in Kentucky's 13th straight win.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan Perkins had 18 points and six rebounds to pace Alabama (10-5, 0-2), which dropped its second straight on the heels of a four-game win streak.
Alabama was able to keep the game close over the first six-plus minutes of the first half, but after Alicia Mitcham's jumper knotted the game at 9-9, the Wildcats embarked on a 16-4 run to jump ahead, 25-13.
The Crimson Tide responded with a 15-7 push to get back within four points before Kentucky scored the final three points of the first half to carry a 35-28 edge into the second half.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Alabama would close its gap to four points on two separate occasions in the second half, with the last coming when Shafontaye Myers capped a brief 6-0 spurt with a layup to make it a 47-43 game about five minutes into the frame.
Kentucky, however, responded with an 11-3 run to reopen a 12-point lead, and the Crimson Tide would get no closer than nine points for the remainder of the game as the Wildcats gradually pulled away.