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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- Unlike most players, Craig Dawson doesn't want to be in the starting lineup. The way things are going for him now, he's fine coming off the bench for No. 18 Wake Forest.
Dawson scored 20 points Friday night to lead the Demon Deacons to an 84-44 victory over Air Force in the final of the Black Coaches Association Classic.
The performance came on the heels of his 18 points in 18 minutes
on Thursday night, and earned the junior guard the most valuable
player award of the tournament.
"I like the role coming off the bench," Dawson said. "It
gives me a chance to sit back and see what's going and how the game
is developing. Then I can get in there and pick and choose my
spots."
Darius Songaila scored 17 and Robert O'Kelley had 16 for the
Deacons (2-0), who had five players in double figures.
Wake spent only five minutes looking at tape of Air Force before
deciding how to attack the Falcons (1-1).
"We felt like if we could get on the run, they couldn't run
with us," Dawson said.
They were right.
The Deacons, who have seemingly abandoned their trademark
deliberate offense, opened the game running and made 10 straight
baskets -- five of which were 3-pointers -- in a 25-5 run.
That put Wake up 30-9 before the Falcons even knew what hit
them.
"My expectations are probably too high right now for our
team," said Air Force coach Joe Scott. "I know what it takes to
beat a team like Wake Forest, but they don't know yet. They are
still learning."
The deciding run started less than three minutes into the game
when O'Kelley hit his only basket of the first half. From there,
the Deacons forced Air Force into a series of bad shots and
converted most of the misses into fastbreak points.
Josh Howard got the rebound off of Vernard Jenkins' miss and
turned it into a fastbreak 3-pointer for Wake. After another Air
Force miss, Songaila hit a 3 and followed it with a fastbreak layup
off yet another miss by Jenkins.
Wake then forced three straight turnovers in a one-minute span
and Dawson hit three straight 3-pointers in the 25-5 run.
"I thought defensively we were excellent, just absolutely
excellent," said Wake coach Dave Odom. " We really guarded the
basket heavy and we really guarded the 3-point shots heavy. Those
were are points of concentration."
The Falcons finally got a break when Howard missed a layup with
9:02 left. But it was too late for the Falcons, who were panting as
they tried to follow Wake up and down the floor.
Wake shot 63 percent in the first half, forced 11 turnovers and
took a 40-19 lead into the break.
"I give Air Force credit for hanging in there, but that run
really killed them," Dawson said. "They tried to come back, but
they couldn't."
The Deacons didn't relent in the second half, either.
Air Force opened the second half with five quick points to make
it 40-24.
But O'Kelley hit three consecutive 3-pointers in a 12-0 run that
stretched Wake's lead to 52-24 and put the Falcons away for good.
Howard finished with 13 points for Wake and Josh Shoemaker added
11.
Jenkins and Jarvis Cross scored 10 points each for Air Force.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Air Force Clubhouse
Wake Forest Clubhouse
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