Wake Forest University
Navy
Dawson, Deacs Sink Navy, 87-65
1/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan 7, 2002
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Wake Forest had no problem with its lone nonconference outing in a 10-game stretch.
Craig Dawson scored 21 points, all on 3-pointers, and the No. 19 Deamon Deacons never trailed in beating Navy 87-65 Monday night.
Starting with Saturday's 84-62 victory over North Carolina, Wake Forest is playing nine of 10 games against ACC foes.
"I'm very happy to get out of here with a win," Wake coach Skip Prosser said. "North Carolina was the first time all season we've put two good halves together. Tonight the challenge was to put two good games together."
Darius Songaila had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Taron Downey added 15 points, and Josh Howard 14 for Wake Forest (12-3).
Jehiel Lewis led the Midshipmen (5-10) with 14 points.
Wake hit 12 3-pointers, including four over a span of five possessions in the second half, when Navy scored on each trip down the floor but still lost ground.
Dawson made six of his 3-pointers after halftime.
"I told Craig at the half, 'The second half is going to be your night,"' Prosser said.
The Demon Deacons have won four straight games against the Midshipmen over the past five seasons. Wake Forest's average margin of victory in those games is 27.8 points.
After a turnover on their opening possession, the Deacons sprinted to a 7-2 lead. Wake was ahead 23-9 with 11:26 left in the first half, behind 10 points from Howard.
Wake coach Skip Prosser pulled his starters during a timeout, and Navy was able to cut the lead to 23-15 at 9:08, when Prosser brought his top five players back.
The starters were 10-for-14 from the field before sitting, but they went only 3-of-15 after returning. Wake still managed to take a 37-25 lead into halftime.
Dawson hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the second half, stretching the Deacons' lead to 45-27, and Prosser again went to his reserves. But when Jason Jeanpierre's basket cut Navy's gap to 58-47, the coach brought Howard and Songaila back into the game at 9:35 to join starting guards Dawson and Broderick Hicks.
Songaila's three-point play and two 3-pointers each from Dawson and Downey got the lead back to 18 with seven minutes remaining, and Navy never got closer.
