4 takeaways from No. 14 Alabama basketball's 89-74 win over Kentucky

Battling injuries both before and during the game, No. 14 Alabama used defensive intensity and timely shooting to prevail past Kentucky 89-74 in the SEC opener. For the first time in program history, Alabama has won four straight against Kentucky. Alabama jumped out to a big first-half lead on Saturday but had to fight off a second-half surge from the Wildcats to secure the victory. The Crimson Tide improved to 11-3 overall and 1-0 in the SEC with the win. Here are a few takeaways from the game. Defensive Effort Alabama just wanted it more than Kentucky on Saturday. The intensity and effort on the defensive end of the court favored the Crimson Tide. Anytime there was a loose ball on the court, an Alabama player was the first to hit the deck to dive for it and usually came away with the 50/50 balls. Alabama forced 12 turnovers as a team on Saturday. Near Perfect Start The Crimson Tide got off to an excellent start, taking a 50-34 advantage into the half. The 16-point lead is the largest halftime lead against Kentucky in 30 years. Aden Holloway and Houston Mallette combined for 30 of Alabama's 50 first-half points, doing most of their damage from behind the arc. The Crimson Tide tandem drained seven of Alabama's 10 made three pointers in the first 20 minutes. Slow Start for Philon Saturday wasn't one of Labaron Philon's best games. Philon got off to a slow start, scoring just one bucket in the first half. Philon picked up the pace in the second half, scoring 15 points in the final 20 minutes despite being unable to hit a three-pointer. The SEC's leading scorer was limited to just 17 points, slightly below his almost 22 points per game average. Williamson Provides Big Minutes Starting center Aiden Sherrell went down early in the first half with a knee injury and did not return. With Sherrell out, Alabama relied heavily on Noah Williamson to provide crucial minutes from the center position. Williamson responded with his best game in an Alabama jersey, making the most of his increased minutes. Williamson came into the game averaging just nine points a game and totaling only 14 points on the year. On Saturday, the senior big man put in 18 big minutes, scoring 10 points and pulling down four rebounds. Alabama will travel to Vanderbilt on Wednesday. The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning. Featured Local Savings