No. 2 Alabama Basketball Boatraces Demon Deacons In Preseason Scrimmage

The Crimson Tide get their year started with a preseason exhibition in historic Boutwell Auditorium.

Mo Dioubate / AlabamaMBB on Twitte

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team got its season started on Friday night with its first live action of the year. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons came to Birmingham to make the return leg of a home-and-home exhibition series.

The Crimson Tide picked up right where they left off last season with an impressive offensive output defeating the Demon Deacons ___ in historic Boutwell Auditorium.

Alabama utilized its signature three-and-d style and saw all nine players fill up the score sheet.

The Crimson Tide was led by incoming transfer Aiden Holloway as he scored 20 points. He was helped by Mark Sears and Labaron Philon who chipped in with 19 and 13 respectively.

Alabama has one more preseason scrimmage against the Memphis Tigers in Huntsville on Monday, Oct. 28 before kicking off the season on November 4.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide kicks off the 2024-25 basketball season on Friday night with a scrimmage against Wake Forest at historic Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham.

The Crimson Tide and Demon Deacons played a preseason scrimmage before last season in North Carolina and this year the programs kick off the new year in Alabama.

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Second Half

• Alabama is on 100 watch. The Crimson Tide leads 84-59 with 5:09 left to play.

• Alabama's subtly dominating the offensive glass in this scrimmage 13-5. The second chance opportunities have helped with the lead as the Crimson Tide hold a 16-9 advantage.

• 7:54 Alabama leads 76-58 at the under-eight media timeout. The Crimson Tide's 3-point barrage looks like it will be too much for the Demon Deacons to overcome tonight.

• Omaha Beliew belongs on the all-name team at the end of the year. The Wake Forest forward has had a nice night, scoring 13 points with four rebounds.

• Alabama keeps making hay at the free throw line as they're now in the bonus for the second half. The Crimson Tide is 18-25 from the charity stripe, a real boon when their normal offense hasn't been as proficient.

• Every Alabama player not named Derrion Reid or Cliff Omoruyi has made a 3-point basket tonight. This Crimson Tide team is deep and they lead Wake Forest 66-54 with 10:15 to play.

• 11:50 - Alabama leads 60-53 at the under-12 timeout. The Crimson Tide's leading scorers are Mark Sears with 14, Mo Dioubate with 10, Derrion Reid, Cliff Omoruyi and Jarin Stevenson each with seven. Alabama's struggled turning the ball over with 12 but has outrebounded Wake Forest 34-27.

• Alabama's 39-percent shooting from the floor is being salvaged a bit by the Crimson Tide's ability to make 3-point shots and get to the free throw line. Alabama is 10-29 from deep and is 13 of 19 from the charity stripe and still has a 56-49 lead with 13:50 left to play.

• Alabama allowing 1 point per possession as Wake Forest digs back into the game. Alabama still leads 55-49, but sloppy attention to detail on the defensive end has allowed the Demon Deacons to stay within striking distance.

• Alabama's started the second half a little slow, only scoring four points and letting Wake Forest creep back into the game. 50-45 with 16:24 left in the game.

• Alabama opens the second half with the same starting lineup from the first. Grant Nelson is not available with a minor injury, adding him to Aden Sherrell, Latrell Wrightsell and Chris Youngblood as the unavailable scholarship players.

Halftime

Halftime Bama in Boutwell / Joe Gaither Canv

First Half

• 2:01 - Alabama leads 38-33 and takes a timeout going into the final stages of the half. The Crimson Tide's utilized its length and kept Wake Forest from getting many easy looks despite the Demon Deacons shooting 41-percent from the floor.

• 3:34 - Alabama leads 38-28. Cliff Omoruyi has gotten involved offensively and now has seven points to be second on the Crimson Tide. Nine different Alabama players have at least three or more points.

• It's been a different experience in Boutwell Auditorium as the speakers have played hip-hop instrumentals throughout the entire half, even during play. Nothing wrong with it, just different.

• 4:33 - WOW. Derrion Reid made a massive block at the rim, saved the ball on the baseline to Mark Sears who passed the ball the length of the court for a Cliff Omoruyi dunk. A small glimpse of the potential on this team. Alabama leads 36-25.

• Alabama's Mo Dioubate picks right back up where he left off last year as a spark plug. Dioubate just crashed the lane hard converting a layup through contact and making the and-one free-throw. The sophomore has five quick points off the bench, due largely to effort.

• Alabama's Mark Sears is fouled as he gets a defensive stop. Alabama's jumped back out in front 31-23 after Sears converts his two free throws. Sears is up to eight points scored so far.

• Former Alabama basketball player JaMychal Green just passed walking to his seat. Great to see the Alabama basketball community riding the wave of popularity.

This sort of feels a bit like Foster Auditorium on campus.

Great venue tonight in Birmingham for #BamaInBoutwell pic.twitter.com/f65QTTEJvm

— Joe Gaither (@JoeGaither6) October 19, 2024

• Parker Friedrichsen makes a 3-point shot for Wake Forest and the Demon Deacons take a 23-22 lead. Wake keeps hanging around this first half due to carelessness on the Alabama offensive end.

• 10:18 - Under 12 timeout and the Crimson Tide leads 21-18. Alabama has seven different players who've scored with Mark Sears leading the way with five. Wake Forest is led by Hunter Sallis with nine and Omaha Biliew with seven. Alabama leads Wake Forest 13-7 in rebounding and has made 5-11 from beyond the arc.

• Omaha Biliew made a jumper to give Wake Forest a one point lead. Biliew has scored the last five consecutive points for the Demon Deacons.

• Alabama just committed its fourth turnover of the first half. The 15-12 lead is a good start but the early carelessness is a negative to note. The Crimson Tide is playing its trademark fast style with a lot of new pieces against a live defense for the first time.

• Alabama's Aden Holloway will go to the line to shoot three free throws. The Crimson Tide's done a great job in these first six minutes getting a lot of three point shots up (6) while being fouled on two more. Alabama is 6-8 from the free throw line early.

• Naas Cunningham knocks down his first 3-point attempt and Alabama stretches its lead to 14-9.

• Alabama leads 8-7 at our under-16 timeout. The Crimson Tide's Jarin Steveson is 1-4 from beyond the arc while Mark Sears leads Alabama with five points. Wake Forest is led by Hunter Sallis who has all seven Demon Deacon points.

• After missing his first two 3-point tries, Jarin Stevenson makes his third attempt, giving the Crimson Tide an 8-2 advantage.

• Mark Sears gets Alabama on the board with two free throws and we're back even 2-2. Sears knocks down a 3-point bucket on the next possession to take the Crimson Tide to a 5-2 advantage.

• Alabama's Jarin Stevenson misses the Crimson Tide's first 3-point try and Labaron Philon commits a foul on the other end to allow Wake Forest to take a 2-0 lead.

Pregame

• Wake Forest's starters for Bama in Boutwell are Cameron Hildreth, Parker Friedrichsen, Hunter Sallis, Tre'Von Spillers and Efton Reid.

• Alabama's Starters for Bama in Boutwell are Mark Sears, Labaron Philon, Houston Mallette, Jarin Stevenson and Cliff Omoruyi.

This is about to be a cool place to watch a basketball game pic.twitter.com/4kJpm7bih4

— Joe Gaither (@JoeGaither6) October 18, 2024