Alabama Basketball Downs Southern Illinois in Charity Exhibition

The Crimson Tide played a balanced game while missing multiple key players.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –- Despite missing multiple rotation players due to injury, No. 20 Alabama basketball secured a nice win over Southern Illinois in its charity exhibition game Saturday by a final score of 73-64.

Alabama held a lead as large as 20, but the Salukis went on a 10-0 run near the final minutes of the game to make it competitive again.

Freshman phenom Brandon Miller led the way in scoring for Alabama with 14 points after a relatively passive first half. Right behind him was Ohio transfer guard Mark Sears, who scored 13 while looking aggressive and crafty in the lane for some creative finished around the rim.

Senior forward Noah Gurley scored 12 points, all of which seemingly came on a run in the second half where he extended the Alabama lead himself, abusing mismatches with smaller defenders and punishing them in the paint.

JUCO transfer Nick Pringle provided some excellent minutes as a backup big man scoring 10 points – many of which came on exciting dunks that electrified the crowd. 

The Crimson Tide did not shoot well – a mere 3-for-22 from beyond the arc – but freshman guard Ryland Griffen made two of those three three-pointers for six of his eight points in the game. 

Defensively Alabama looked stellar up until the final minutes, with active hands causing deflections and creating turnovers. The Crimson Tide forced 16 turnovers and scored 24 points off those turnovers. 

The exhibition was held at Foster Auditorium, and attendance was marketed as student-only before opening the gates to the public once the game began.

Sophomore center Charles Bediako and junior wing Darius Miles were both held out  due to injury, as well as guard Jahvon Quinerly who is still rehabbing a torn ACL from March.

Alabama will officially begin the 2022-23 basketball season on Monday, Nov. 7 as the Crimson Tide takes on Longwood in Coleman Coliseum.

Junior guard Mark Sears / Alabama Athletics

Freshman forward Noah Clowney / Alabama Athletics

Freshman guard Rylan Griffen / Alabama Athletics

Freshman forward Brandon Miller / Alabama Athletics

Freshman forward Brandon Miller / Alabama Athletics

Nate Oats in a team huddle / Alabama Athletics

Alabama senior forward Noah Gurley / Alabama Athletics

Junior guard Mark Sears / Alabama Athletics

Junior guard Mark Sears at Foster Auditorium / Alabama Athletics

Alabama senior guard Dominick Welch / Alabama Athletics

Live Updates

(Most recent update at the top)

Final box score:

Second Half

• FINAL: Alabama 73, Southern Illinois 64

• SIU is on a 10-0 run the past two minutes to cut the lead down to 11. 

• A three from SIU cuts the Alabama lead to 73-58 with just over two minutes remaining.

• At the under-4 timeout, Alabama leads 69-52. Bradley will shoot two free throws after the break.

• Griffen hit his second three of the game to stop another small run from SIU. Alabama leads 65-46.

• Sears and Miller are taking turns getting buckets in the lane, and have 13 and 12 points, respectively as Alabama now has a 20 point lead.

• Sears hit Alabama's second three-pointer of the game to extend the lead to 58-39. 

• Alabama leads 55-39 with 10:57 remaining after a timeout.

• Welch adds an and-one in transition to add onto the Alabama lead just before the under-12 timeout. Alabama now has 13 fast break points. 

• A Gurley free throw moves the Alabama lead to 48-37.

• Gurley has scored Alabama's last six points and now leads Alabama with 10 in the game. Alabama leads 45-34.

• Gurley slid through the lane for an and-one to stop a small run from SIU. Alabama leads 42-32 after the free throw.

• SIU scores the first points of the half at the free throw line. Alabama leads 37-29.

• Alabama's same starting five will start in the second half: Sears, Welch, Miller, Gurley, Clowney. 

Halftime stats:

First Half

• Alabama leads 37-27 at halftime in Foster Auditorium. 

• Alabama is just 1-9 from three-point range and leads 35-25 with just 1:32 left in the half.

• Griffen nails Alabama's first three-pointer of the game right before the under-4 timeout. Alabama leads 35-21.

• Two free throws from Pringle give Alabama a 30-21 lead. He now has six points as well as three rebounds. 

• With 6:46 remaining in the half, Alabama leads 26-18. Sears and Clowney lead the way with six points apiece. 

• Miller gets a runout slam off a steal. Alabama leads 26-16.

• The Salukis are now 3-8 from beyond the arc and trail just 20-16.

• Southern Illinois takes a timeout with 11:31 to play after a crafty transition layup from Sears who now has four points. Alabama leads 18-11.

• Griffen gets a transition bucket to go to extend the Alabama lead to 16-11.

• Miller knocks down two free throws for his first points. Alabama leads 14-8.

• Jaden Bradley entered the game and immediately got a bucket in the lane. Alabama leads 10-7.

• Clowney has six of Alabama's eight points in the first four minutes.

• At the under-16 timeout Alabama takes possession off a drawn charge from Welch. 

• Southern Illinois' first points come off a corner three. Alabama leads 4-3.

• Sears dumped it off in the lane for a Clowney dunk for Alabama's first points. Alabama leads it 2-0. 

Pregame

• Alabama's starting five: Mark Sears, Dom Welch, Brandon Miller, Noah Clowney, Noah Gurley

• Alabama has entered the locker room for the final time before the game. 

• There is no sign of Darius Miles for Alabama either.

• Earlier in the week, Nate Oats said center Charles Bediako will be held out of the scrimmage and guard Nimari Burnett will be on a minutes restriction. 

• Alabama has entered the court for its pregame warmups.