Alabama basketball ended its preseason on a sour note, suffering an 88-80 defeat at Wake Forest in its charity exhibition Sunday. The Crimson Tide squandered a 13-point lead at the half as an eight-man Demon Deacons team took control of the game with a 27-3 run that extended into the second half.
"I want to thank Coach Forbes in partnering with us for this meaningful event and trying to raise money for a good cause," Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. "In regards to the game, I am disappointed with today’s result and how complacent we got after leading by 19 points towards the end of the first half. We have a lot to clean up before next week’s season opener so we will get back in the gym and gear up for Morehead State.”
After shooting 62.5% from the floor, including 8 of 14 from beyond the arc in the first half, Alabama went cold after the break. The Crimson Tide shot 30.3% from the floor and was just 1 of 10 from deep in the second half. Alabama committed 18 turnovers on the afternoon, leading to 29 Wake Forest points.
Alabama was led by Aaron Estrada, who recorded 24 points, six rebounds and three assists. After making 6 of 7 shots in the first half, the Hoftra transfer was just 4 of 13 from the floor after the break. Estrada recorded 19 points and five assists during the Crimson Tide’s scrimmage defeat to TCU last week.
After scoring a team-high 29 points behind seven 3s during last week’s scrimmage against TCU, Sam Walters put in another impressive offensive performance against Wake Forest. The freshman forward had 13 points and was 4 of 6 beyond the arc. Nick Pringle was also in double figures for Alabama, recording 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
After missing the scrimmage against TCU, West Virginia transfer Mouhamed Wague (foot) and freshman Mouhamed Dioubate (knee) both saw time against Wake Forest. Dioubate had 3 points and a pair of rebounds over 14 minutes while Wague came down with four rebounds over 10 minutes.
Alabama was missing Mark Sears, who has held out for a second straight scrimmage with a groin injury. The senior guard is expected to be available for the Crimson Tide’s season opener against Morehead State on Nov. 6 inside Coleman Coliseum. Alabama freshman guard Davin Cosby Jr. was also held out for a second straight scrimmage with an undisclosed injury.
Wake Forest was led by Cameron Hildreth, who scored a game-high 38 points on 10 of 18 shooting. Fellow junior guard Hunter Sallis also came up big for the Demon Deacons, recording 27 points on 11 of 20 shooting.
