Labaron Philon scored 21 points and No. 5 Alabama never trailed while routing No. 15 Kentucky 99-70 in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Friday in Nashville.
The Crimson Tide (25-7), who pulled away thanks to a 54-32 scoring advantage in the second half, will play No. 4 Florida, which defeated No. 21 Missouri 95-81 earlier Friday, in the second semifinal on Saturday.
Mouhamed Dioubate had 13 points and eight rebounds, Jarin Stevenson scored 16 points and Mark Sears and Aden Holloway had 13 each for third-seeded Alabama, which completed a three-game sweep of the Wildcats this season as it seeks its third SEC tournament title in the past five seasons.
The Crimson Tide committed 10 turnovers compared to 16 for Kentucky, leading to an advantage of 29-6 in points off turnovers. Alabama had a 19-3 edge in fastbreak points.
Andrew Carr scored 18, Amari Williams had 16 and Travis Perry added 11 to lead the sixth-seeded Wildcats (22-11), who played without Lamont Butler. The senior guard aggravated a shoulder injury in a second-round victory against Oklahoma on Thursday.
Philon made a 3-pointer and another jumper and Dioubate soon made a 3-pointer as Alabama extended its seven-point halftime lead to 57-44 early in the second half.
Kentucky trimmed the gap to 11 three times before Holloway made a 3-pointer for a 14-point edge. Otega Oweh made two free throws for the Wildcats before four Tide players scored to help expand the lead to 74-54.
Alabama scored the game’s first four points and led by five points twice before Carr’s layup pulled Kentucky even at 14. The Tide followed with a 9-0 run that included six points by Philon.
Koby Brea made a 3-pointer and another jumper to help the Wildcats get within two points, but Alabama pushed the lead to 31-23.
Kentucky got as close as three points before Dioubate had four points and Philon added the Crimson Tide’s final five points of the half to increase the difference to 45-38 entering the break.
–Field Level Media
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