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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. | 
