Morehead St. Eagles vs Alabama Crimson Tide Box Score on Nov 06, 2023

Behind newcomers Grant Nelson and Aaron Estrada, No. 24 Alabama rolled to a 105-73 season-opening home win over Morehead State on Monday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Nelson, a North Dakota State transfer, tallied a game-high 24 points and added seven rebounds, while Estrada, a Hofstra transfer, had 16 points, three rebounds and three assists.

Point guard Mark Sears added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists in the win.

Jarin Stevenson scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range, and added five rebounds off the bench for the Crimson Tide (1-0).

Riley Minix led Morehead State (0-1) with 19 points to go with five rebounds and two assists.

Drew Thelwell (13 points), Kalil Thomas (eight points and three boards) and Jordan Lathon (14 points, four rebounds) were also productive for the Eagles.

Alabama grabbed a 17-5 lead in less than four minutes behind seven points from Estrada and five points from Sears.

The Crimson Tide extended their lead to 31-13 with 11:35 to play in the opening half behind an and-one from Sears, a Latrell Wrightsell Jr. 3-pointer, three free throws from Nelson, a layup from Estrada and a Nelson 3-pointer.

Alabama took a 55-35 lead into halftime with Estrada (14 points), Sears (12) and Nelson (11) all scoring in double figures.

Two Stevenson 3-pointers helped the Crimson Tide build a 67-45 lead with 16:12 to go in the second half.

Behind a layup and a breakaway dunk from Stevenson and two Nelson free throws, Alabama held a 73-49 lead with 13:21 to go in the game.

A thunderous dunk by Nelson with 6:33 to play in the second half put the Tide up 87-64.

--Field Level Media