Game Notes | Alabama Quotes | South Carolina Quotes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Braxton Key had 18 points, Riley Norris added 12 and No. 5 seed Alabama made 10-of-12 free throws down the stretch to lead Alabama past No. 4 seed South Carolina 64-53 on Friday in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal.

Key made 3-of-4 from the line during the critical stretch that finally gave the Crimson Tide space from the Gamecocks in a tense contest.

The Tide (19-13) scored the game's final 10 points to earn their second straight win over the Gamecocks, who missed their final seven shots. They also controlled the boards 42-27 and shot 45 percent to move on to Saturday's semifinals against top-seeded Kentucky.

Sindarius Thornwell had 16 points for South Carolina (22-10) but struggled much of the game. P.J. Dozier had 15 points and Rakym Felder had 10 as the Gamecocks shot 37 percent.

UP NEXT: Alabama faces No. 1 seed Kentucky at 1 pm ET in the semifinals on ESPN.