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Freshman Justin Edwards scores 28, leading No. 17 Kentucky past No. 13 Alabama 117-95

AP
Feb 24, 2024

LEXINGTON, Ky (AP) Kentucky coach John Calipari kept telling Justin Edwards he believed in him, even as the freshman struggled through an inconsistent season.

That belief paid off Saturday as Edwards scored a season-high 28 points, leading No. 17 Kentucky to a 117-95 win over No. 13 Alabama.

Edwards scored his previous high against Vanderbilt on Feb. 6, when he finished with 17 points.

“I kept saying you’re going to break through. I believe in you,” Calipari said. “He said ‘Coach, I believe in you.’ And I said, you just got to stay the course.”

Against Alabama, Edwards was 10 for 10 from the field and 4 for 4 from 3-point distance. His only miss came at the free throw line, where he finished 4 for 5.

“It felt good to go out and show I can play like I did,” Edwards said. “It means a lot because (my teammates) believe in me. I knew I hadn’t missed (a shot), but I knocked on wood.”

Antonio Reeves scored 24 points, and Zvonimir Ivisic came off the bench to score 18 points for the Wildcats (19-8, 9-5 SEC). Kentucky shot 63% from the field, 54% from 3-point distance and finished a point short of its highest scoring game of the season, a 118-82 win over Marshall on Nov. 25. It was the second-most points Kentucky has scored in an SEC game in Rupp Arena since posting 127 against LSU in 1995.

Rylan Griffen scored 21 points and Mark Sears added 20 for Alabama (19-8, 11-3), which shot 56% from the field and turned the ball over 16 times, leading to 29 points by Kentucky.

“Kentucky was ready to play tonight and we weren’t. They were great and we looked awful,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “I told our guys we have had question marks about our defense all year.”

The conference showdown between the pair of highly ranked teams and the two top scoring offenses in the nation got off to a quick start. Alabama held a 29-28 lead with 9:39 left in the first half before Kentucky went on a 20-2 run over the next six minutes, seizing control of the game and carrying a 58-42 lead into halftime.

Alabama got within 14 in the second half at 68-54 with 16:45 left, but Kentucky shut down any hopes of rally with 12 unanswered points in less than 90 seconds, with Edwards accounting for seven of those points, including a four-point play.

BIG PICTURE

Alabama: The Tide lost their tenuous hold on first-place in the SEC as No. 5 Tennessee beat Texas A&M 86-51 on Saturday night and moved into a tie atop the conference standings.

Kentucky: The Wildcats sorely needed a dominating home win after dropping three of their last four games in Rupp Arena. Kentucky kept alive a path to a double-bye in the conference tournament.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Alabama: The Tide should not be hurt too much by another road loss, although they did need overtime to beat Florida 98-93 on Wednesday.

Kentucky: The Wildcats should stay about where they are in the polls, despite blowing a 15-point lead on the road to LSU on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Alabama: At Mississippi on Wednesday.

Kentucky: At Mississippi State on Tuesday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

1st Half
ALA
Crimson Tide
42
UK
Wildcats
58

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Grant Nelson vs. Ugonna Onyenso (Wildcats gains possession)
19:38	+2	Ugonna Onyenso makes two point layup (D.J. Wagner assists)	0-2
19:28	+2	Aaron Estrada makes two point layup	2-2
19:13		D.J. Wagner misses three point jump shot
19:11		Aaron Estrada defensive rebound
19:00		Ugonna Onyenso shooting foul (Grant Nelson draws the foul)
19:00		Grant Nelson misses regular free throw 1 of 2
19:00	+1	Grant Nelson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	3-2
18:42		Jarin Stevenson shooting foul (Antonio Reeves draws the foul)
18:42		Antonio Reeves misses regular free throw 1 of 2
18:42	+1	Antonio Reeves makes regular free throw 2 of 2	3-3
18:36	+2	Rylan Griffen makes two point dunk (Aaron Estrada assists)	5-3
18:10		Adou Thiero misses two point jump shot
18:08		Grant Nelson defensive rebound
18:02	+2	Aaron Estrada makes two point layup	7-3
17:41		Rylan Griffen personal foul (Antonio Reeves draws the foul)
17:30	+2	Antonio Reeves makes two point jump shot	7-5
17:06		Jarin Stevenson misses two point layup
17:04		Justin Edwards defensive rebound
16:59		Mark Sears shooting foul (Rob Dillingham draws the foul)
16:59	+1	Rob Dillingham makes regular free throw 1 of 2	7-6
16:59		Rob Dillingham misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:59		Justin Edwards offensive rebound
16:50	+3	Antonio Reeves makes three point jump shot (Reed Sheppard assists)	7-9
16:36		Grant Nelson misses two point hook shot
16:34		Zvonimir Ivisic defensive rebound
16:29		Antonio Reeves misses three point jump shot
16:27		Rylan Griffen defensive rebound
16:22	+2	Nick Pringle makes two point dunk (Aaron Estrada assists)	9-9
16:08	+3	Justin Edwards makes three point jump shot (Reed Sheppard assists)	9-12
15:52	+3	Rylan Griffen makes three point jump shot (Aaron Estrada assists)	12-12
15:43		Zvonimir Ivisic turnover (traveling)
15:43		TV timeout
15:21	+2	Nick Pringle makes two point dunk (Aaron Estrada assists)	14-12
14:56	+2	Zvonimir Ivisic makes two point layup (Reed Sheppard assists)	14-14
14:41	+2	Nick Pringle makes two point dunk (Mark Sears assists)	16-14
14:30		Rob Dillingham misses two point layup
14:28		Justin Edwards offensive rebound
14:23		Rob Dillingham misses three point jump shot
14:21		Rylan Griffen defensive rebound
14:11	+3	Mark Sears makes three point jump shot	19-14
13:58	+3	Rob Dillingham makes three point jump shot (Antonio Reeves assists)	19-17
13:37	+3	Aaron Estrada makes three point jump shot (Rylan Griffen assists)	22-17
13:25		Zvonimir Ivisic misses three point jump shot
13:23		Grant Nelson defensive rebound
13:01		Zvonimir Ivisic blocks Nick Pringle's two point dunk
12:59		Reed Sheppard defensive rebound
12:51		Reed Sheppard turnover (bad pass)
12:40		Rylan Griffen misses two point layup
12:38		Reed Sheppard defensive rebound
12:32	+3	Antonio Reeves makes three point jump shot (Rob Dillingham assists)	22-20
12:24		Aaron Estrada turnover (lost ball) (Reed Sheppard steals)
12:05	+3	Reed Sheppard makes three point jump shot (Antonio Reeves assists)	22-23
11:41	+2	Mouhamed Dioubate makes two point layup (Mark Sears assists)	24-23
11:32	+2	Ugonna Onyenso makes two point layup (Rob Dillingham assists)	24-25
11:21		Adou Thiero blocks Mouhamed Dioubate's two point layup
11:19		Reed Sheppard defensive rebound
11:13		Reed Sheppard turnover (out of bounds)
11:13		TV timeout
11:07	+2	Grant Nelson makes two point dunk (Mark Sears assists)	26-25
10:49		D.J. Wagner misses three point jump shot
10:47		Ugonna Onyenso offensive rebound
10:38	+2	Rob Dillingham makes two point layup	26-27
10:17		Ugonna Onyenso blocks Sam Walters's two point layup
10:15		Reed Sheppard defensive rebound
10:12		Mark Sears personal foul (Rob Dillingham draws the foul)
9:54		Mouhamed Dioubate shooting foul (Ugonna Onyenso draws the foul)
9:54		Ugonna Onyenso misses regular free throw 1 of 2
9:54	+1	Ugonna Onyenso makes regular free throw 2 of 2	26-28
9:38	+3	Rylan Griffen makes three point jump shot (Aaron Estrada assists)	29-28
9:16	+2	D.J. Wagner makes two point layup	29-30
8:47		Sam Walters turnover (bad pass) (Adou Thiero steals)
8:42	+2	Adou Thiero makes two point layup	29-32
8:42		Aaron Estrada shooting foul (Adou Thiero draws the foul)
8:42	+1	Adou Thiero makes regular free throw 1 of 1	29-33
8:27		Aaron Estrada turnover (bad pass) (Ugonna Onyenso steals)
8:21	+2	Adou Thiero makes two point layup (D.J. Wagner assists)	29-35
8:09		Adou Thiero personal foul (Mark Sears draws the foul)
8:04		Mark Sears turnover (traveling)
7:56		Ugonna Onyenso offensive foul
7:56		Ugonna Onyenso turnover (offensive foul)
7:56		TV timeout
7:35		Grant Nelson offensive foul
7:35		Grant Nelson turnover (offensive foul)
7:21	+2	Justin Edwards makes two point jump shot	29-37
6:59		D.J. Wagner personal foul (Mark Sears draws the foul)
6:53	+2	Mark Sears makes two point layup	31-37
6:35		Nick Pringle shooting foul (Antonio Reeves draws the foul)
6:35	+1	Antonio Reeves makes regular free throw 1 of 2	31-38
6:35	+1	Antonio Reeves makes regular free throw 2 of 2	31-39
6:14		Rylan Griffen misses three point jump shot
6:12		Grant Nelson offensive rebound
5:58		Mark Sears turnover (bad pass) (Antonio Reeves steals)
5:55		Grant Nelson shooting foul (Antonio Reeves draws the foul)
5:55	+1	Antonio Reeves makes regular free throw 1 of 2	31-40
5:55	+1	Antonio Reeves makes regular free throw 2 of 2	31-41
5:39		Zvonimir Ivisic personal foul (Mark Sears draws the foul)
5:30		Mark Sears misses two point jump shot
5:28		Justin Edwards defensive rebound
5:22	+2	Zvonimir Ivisic makes two point alley-oop dunk (Rob Dillingham assists)	31-43
5:22		Nick Pringle shooting foul (Zvonimir Ivisic draws the foul)
5:22		Crimson Tide 30 second timeout
5:22	+1	Zvonimir Ivisic makes regular free throw 1 of 1	31-44
5:09		Rylan Griffen misses three point jump shot
5:09		Jarin Stevenson offensive rebound
5:09		Rylan Griffen misses three point jump shot
5:07		Crimson Tide offensive rebound
4:58		Zvonimir Ivisic blocks Aaron Estrada's two point layup
4:56		Wildcats defensive rebound
4:51		Rob Dillingham personal foul (Nick Pringle draws the foul)
4:51		Nick Pringle misses regular free throw 1 of 1
4:43		D.J. Wagner misses two point layup
4:41		Jarin Stevenson defensive rebound
4:22		Jarin Stevenson turnover (lost ball) (Antonio Reeves steals)
4:09	+2	Antonio Reeves makes two point jump shot	31-46
3:51		Zvonimir Ivisic blocks Nick Pringle's two point layup
3:49		Zvonimir Ivisic defensive rebound
3:39		Jarin Stevenson shooting foul (D.J. Wagner draws the foul)
3:43		TV timeout
3:39	+1	D.J. Wagner makes regular free throw 1 of 2	31-47
3:39	+1	D.J. Wagner makes regular free throw 2 of 2	31-48
3:25		D.J. Wagner personal foul (Mark Sears draws the foul)
3:25	+1	Mark Sears makes regular free throw 1 of 2	32-48
3:25	+1	Mark Sears makes regular free throw 2 of 2	33-48
3:11		Antonio Reeves misses two point jump shot
3:09		Rylan Griffen defensive rebound
3:03		Rob Dillingham personal foul (Rylan Griffen draws the foul)
3:03	+1	Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 1 of 2	34-48
3:03	+1	Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 2 of 2	35-48
2:38	+3	Justin Edwards makes three point jump shot (Antonio Reeves assists)	35-51
2:31		Rylan Griffen misses three point jump shot
2:29		Antonio Reeves defensive rebound
2:16		Adou Thiero misses two point dunk
2:14		Aaron Estrada defensive rebound
2:08		Mark Sears turnover (lost ball) (Justin Edwards steals)
2:03	+2	Justin Edwards makes two point layup	35-53
1:49	+2	Rylan Griffen makes two point layup	37-53
1:36		Reed Sheppard misses two point jump shot
1:34		Aaron Estrada defensive rebound
1:29	+2	Aaron Estrada makes two point layup	39-53
1:23		Wildcats 30 second timeout
1:02	+3	Justin Edwards makes three point jump shot (Adou Thiero assists)	39-56
0:43		Adou Thiero shooting foul (Nick Pringle draws the foul)
0:43	+1	Nick Pringle makes regular free throw 1 of 2	40-56
0:43		Nick Pringle misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:43		Nick Pringle offensive rebound
0:32	+2	Mark Sears makes two point layup	42-56
0:09	+2	Adou Thiero makes two point jump shot (Aaron Bradshaw assists)	42-58
0:01		Mark Sears turnover (bad pass) (Reed Sheppard steals)
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
ALA
Crimson Tide
53
UK
Wildcats
59

Time		Play	Score
19:50		Jarin Stevenson misses three point jump shot
19:48		Antonio Reeves defensive rebound
19:42	+2	Justin Edwards makes two point dunk (Adou Thiero assists)	42-60
19:31	+2	Jarin Stevenson makes two point dunk (Rylan Griffen assists)	44-60
19:06	+2	Antonio Reeves makes two point jump shot	44-62
18:59		Adou Thiero personal foul (Jarin Stevenson draws the foul)
18:46	+2	Rylan Griffen makes two point dunk	46-62
18:28		D.J. Wagner turnover (bad pass) (Mark Sears steals)
18:17	+2	Grant Nelson makes two point dunk (Rylan Griffen assists)	48-62
17:58		Rylan Griffen personal foul (Antonio Reeves draws the foul)
17:55	+2	Justin Edwards makes two point layup (D.J. Wagner assists)	48-64
17:44	+3	Jarin Stevenson makes three point jump shot (Rylan Griffen assists)	51-64
17:30	+2	Antonio Reeves makes two point jump shot	51-66
17:20		Mark Sears misses two point jump shot
17:18		Wildcats defensive rebound
17:04		Aaron Estrada personal foul (Antonio Reeves draws the foul)
16:53	+2	Adou Thiero makes two point jump shot (Antonio Reeves assists)	51-68
16:42	+3	Mark Sears makes three point jump shot	54-68
16:29		D.J. Wagner turnover (lost ball) (Sam Walters steals)
16:19		Jarin Stevenson misses three point jump shot
16:17		Adou Thiero defensive rebound
16:02		Antonio Reeves misses two point jump shot
16:02		Justin Edwards offensive rebound
16:02		Jarin Stevenson shooting foul (Justin Edwards draws the foul)
16:01	+1	Justin Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 2	54-69
16:01		Justin Edwards misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:01		Grant Nelson defensive rebound
15:38		Mark Sears turnover (lost ball) (Reed Sheppard steals)
15:28	+2	Reed Sheppard makes two point dunk (Justin Edwards assists)	54-71
15:25		Aaron Estrada turnover (lost ball) (Justin Edwards steals)
15:18	+3	Justin Edwards makes three point jump shot (Reed Sheppard assists)	54-74
15:18		Sam Walters shooting foul (Justin Edwards draws the foul)
15:18		TV timeout
15:15	+1	Justin Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 1	54-75
14:59		Sam Walters misses three point jump shot
14:57		Rob Dillingham defensive rebound
14:50	+2	Justin Edwards makes two point layup	54-77
14:42		Reed Sheppard personal foul (Mark Sears draws the foul)
14:26		Mark Sears turnover (bad pass) (Reed Sheppard steals)
14:18	+2	Antonio Reeves makes two point layup	54-79
14:18		Nick Pringle shooting foul (Antonio Reeves draws the foul)
14:18	+1	Antonio Reeves makes regular free throw 1 of 1	54-80
13:58		Davin Cosby Jr. misses three point jump shot
13:56		Nick Pringle offensive rebound
13:48	+2	Nick Pringle makes two point layup	56-80
13:38		Zvonimir Ivisic misses two point layup
13:36		Nick Pringle defensive rebound
13:30		Rylan Griffen misses three point jump shot
13:28		Reed Sheppard defensive rebound
13:09		Nick Pringle shooting foul (Zvonimir Ivisic draws the foul)
13:09	+1	Zvonimir Ivisic makes regular free throw 1 of 2	56-81
13:09	+1	Zvonimir Ivisic makes regular free throw 2 of 2	56-82
13:00		Grant Nelson offensive foul (Rob Dillingham draws the foul)
13:00		Grant Nelson turnover (offensive foul)
12:45	+2	Zvonimir Ivisic makes two point dunk (Antonio Reeves assists)	56-84
12:33	+2	Aaron Estrada makes two point layup	58-84
12:20		Mouhamed Dioubate blocks Rob Dillingham's two point layup
12:18		Rob Dillingham offensive rebound
12:08		Rob Dillingham turnover (bad pass)
11:57		Aaron Estrada turnover (bad pass) (Rob Dillingham steals)
11:53		Mouhamed Dioubate shooting foul (Rob Dillingham draws the foul)
11:53		TV timeout
11:53	+1	Rob Dillingham makes regular free throw 1 of 2	58-85
11:53	+1	Rob Dillingham makes regular free throw 2 of 2	58-86
11:40		Zvonimir Ivisic shooting foul (Grant Nelson draws the foul)
11:40	+1	Grant Nelson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	59-86
11:40		Grant Nelson misses regular free throw 2 of 2
11:40		Zvonimir Ivisic defensive rebound
11:26	+3	Rob Dillingham makes three point jump shot	59-89
11:12		Davin Cosby Jr. misses three point jump shot
11:10		Zvonimir Ivisic defensive rebound
11:02	+3	Rob Dillingham makes three point jump shot (Justin Edwards assists)	59-92
11:00		Crimson Tide 60 second timeout
11:00		TV timeout
10:45	+2	Rylan Griffen makes two point layup	61-92
10:29	+2	Zvonimir Ivisic makes two point layup	61-94
10:18		Mark Sears misses two point layup
10:16		Grant Nelson offensive rebound
10:11	+2	Grant Nelson makes two point dunk	63-94
9:57		Rylan Griffen personal foul (Antonio Reeves draws the foul)
9:57	+1	Antonio Reeves makes regular free throw 1 of 2	63-95
9:57	+1	Antonio Reeves makes regular free throw 2 of 2	63-96
9:51		Reed Sheppard personal foul
9:46		Rob Dillingham shooting foul (Mark Sears draws the foul)
9:46	+1	Mark Sears makes regular free throw 1 of 2	64-96
9:46	+1	Mark Sears makes regular free throw 2 of 2	65-96
9:19	+3	Adou Thiero makes three point jump shot (Reed Sheppard assists)	65-99
9:06		Mark Sears misses two point jump shot
9:04		Reed Sheppard defensive rebound
8:50		Zvonimir Ivisic misses two point layup
8:48		Zvonimir Ivisic offensive rebound
8:42	+2	Zvonimir Ivisic makes two point dunk	65-101
8:37		Aaron Estrada misses two point layup
8:35		Nick Pringle offensive rebound
8:30	+2	Nick Pringle makes two point dunk	67-101
8:23	+3	Zvonimir Ivisic makes three point jump shot (Reed Sheppard assists)	67-104
8:14	+2	Mark Sears makes two point layup	69-104
7:58		Zvonimir Ivisic misses three point jump shot
7:56		Davin Cosby Jr. defensive rebound
7:51		Davin Cosby Jr. turnover (bad pass)
7:51		TV timeout
7:16		Aaron Bradshaw turnover (lost ball) (Jarin Stevenson steals)
7:15		Aaron Bradshaw shooting foul (Mark Sears draws the foul)
7:15	+1	Mark Sears makes regular free throw 1 of 2	70-104
7:15	+1	Mark Sears makes regular free throw 2 of 2	71-104
6:55	+2	Justin Edwards makes two point jump shot	71-106
6:42	+2	Mark Sears makes two point layup	73-106
6:33		Reed Sheppard misses two point layup
6:31		Aaron Bradshaw offensive rebound
6:26	+2	Aaron Bradshaw makes two point layup	73-108
6:21		D.J. Wagner shooting foul (Rylan Griffen draws the foul)
6:21	+1	Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 1 of 2	74-108
6:21	+1	Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 2 of 2	75-108
6:06		Aaron Bradshaw turnover (bad pass) (Aaron Estrada steals)
5:59		Aaron Bradshaw blocks Aaron Estrada's two point layup
5:57		Grant Nelson offensive rebound
5:56	+2	Grant Nelson makes two point dunk	77-108
5:42		Mark Sears personal foul (Justin Edwards draws the foul)
5:42	+1	Justin Edwards makes regular free throw 1 of 2	77-109
5:42	+1	Justin Edwards makes regular free throw 2 of 2	77-110
5:33		Adou Thiero shooting foul (Grant Nelson draws the foul)
5:33		Grant Nelson misses regular free throw 1 of 2
5:33	+1	Grant Nelson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	78-110
5:18		Reed Sheppard misses three point jump shot
5:16		Grant Nelson defensive rebound
5:04		Adou Thiero personal foul (Grant Nelson draws the foul)
5:04	+1	Grant Nelson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	79-110
5:04	+1	Grant Nelson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	80-110
4:51	+2	Zvonimir Ivisic makes two point dunk (D.J. Wagner assists)	80-112
4:39	+2	Mouhamed Dioubate makes two point layup	82-112
4:21		D.J. Wagner misses three point jump shot
4:19		Mouhamed Dioubate defensive rebound
4:12	+2	Mouhamed Dioubate makes two point layup	84-112
4:09		Reed Sheppard turnover (bad pass) (Mark Sears steals)
4:03		Zvonimir Ivisic blocks Mark Sears's two point layup
4:01		D.J. Wagner defensive rebound
3:51		D.J. Wagner misses two point layup
3:49		Aaron Estrada defensive rebound
3:46		Rylan Griffen misses three point jump shot
3:44		Mouhamed Dioubate offensive rebound
3:44		Reed Sheppard personal foul (Mouhamed Dioubate draws the foul)
3:44		TV timeout
3:44	+1	Mouhamed Dioubate makes regular free throw 1 of 2	85-112
3:44	+1	Mouhamed Dioubate makes regular free throw 2 of 2	86-112
3:20		Rob Dillingham misses three point jump shot
3:18		Aaron Estrada defensive rebound
3:11	+2	Aaron Estrada makes two point layup	88-112
2:44	+3	Reed Sheppard makes three point jump shot (Rob Dillingham assists)	88-115
2:36		Rob Dillingham personal foul (Rylan Griffen draws the foul)
2:36		Rylan Griffen misses regular free throw 1 of 2
2:36	+1	Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 2 of 2	89-115
2:09		D.J. Wagner misses three point jump shot
2:07		Aaron Estrada defensive rebound
1:59		Aaron Estrada turnover (lost ball)
1:30		Jordan Burks misses two point jump shot
1:28		Mark Sears defensive rebound
1:18	+2	Mouhamed Dioubate makes two point layup (Grant Nelson assists)	91-115
0:59	+2	Rob Dillingham makes two point layup	91-117
0:43	+2	Mouhamed Dioubate makes two point layup (Mark Sears assists)	93-117
0:16		Jordan Burks misses three point jump shot
0:14		Aaron Estrada defensive rebound
0:11		Ugonna Onyenso shooting foul (Rylan Griffen draws the foul)
0:11	+1	Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 1 of 2	94-117
0:11	+1	Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 2 of 2	95-117
0:00		End of period

+ 1

Rylan Griffen makes regular free throw 2 of 2