Alabama men’s basketball lost a charity exhibition to Wake Forest on Sunday, 88-80. The revamped Tide roster flashed potential and built up a 13-point halftime lead, but a shooting slump in the second half soured UA’s final warmup before the season begins on Nov. 6.
Four players scored double-digit points for No. 24 Alabama, three of which were newcomers. Hofstra transfer Aaron Estrada led UA with 24 points on 10-of-20 shooting with six rebounds and three assists. Freshman lefty Sam Walters sunk four 3s and scored 13 points in 15 minutes. Nick Pringle also scored 13 points, making all five of his shots, with nine rebounds.
Former North Dakota State big man Grant Nelson scored 11 points on four-of-11 shooting. He cashed a pair of 3-pointers. West Virginia transfer Mohamed Wague and freshman Mouhamed Dioubate, both working through injuries in camp, tallied 10 and 14 minutes, respectively. Returning point guard Mark Sears did not participate.
The Tide started to separate halfway through the first half with an 8-0 run that began with a Wake Forest turnover and Estrada layup. Pringle dunked a feed from Nelson with 1:22 left in the frame to give Alabama a 52-33 lead. Alabama made eight-of-14 3-pointers in the first half.
But in the second, the Tide went 1-of-10 from range, 10-of-33 overall, and committed seven turnovers. Cameron Hildreth, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound junior guard, scored 17 of his 38 points in the comeback effort. He got to the free-throw line 19 times overall. Guard Hunter Sallis also scored 27 points.
Due to an exhibition structure, no players could foul out. Alabama’s Nelson, Wake Forest’s Sallis, Andrew Carr and Parker Friedrichsen each finished with five fouls.
The matchup was played in Winston-Salem, N.C., and proceeds went toward stroke research at the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Stroke Center. Attendance was announced at 2,679 and donations were accepted. The game was broadcast via radio only.
It’s Alabama’s second loss in the preseason, with UA reportedly dropping a tune-up against TCU last weekend at Samford’s campus. The next time the Tide is in action, Sears should be back in the lineup for a non-conference matchup against Morehead State in Coleman Coliseum.
Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].