Men’s Hoops Falls to Wake on the Road

February 10, 1999

By CHRIS DUNCAN Associated Press Writer

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) – Craig Dawson scored 19 points and Darius Songaila added 15 to lead Wake Forest to a 79-69 win over Clemson on Wednesday night.

Rafael Vidaurreta and Robert O’Kelley added 12 points each for Wake Forest (13-10, 4-7 Atlantic Coast Conference), which won for only the second time in its last eight games.

Terrell McIntyre scored 23 points and dished out seven assists to lead the Tigers (13-11, 2-9), who lost for the ninth straight time at Joel Coliseum.

Clemson trailed 40-33 early in the second half but Andrius Jurkunas started a 9-0 Tiger run with a 3-pointer from the right corner with 17:12 left. Clemson led 54-50 when Dawson keyed a 15-2 Wake Forest run with a back-door lay-up with 7:20 to play.

O’Kelley and Dawson sank 3-pointers and Vidaurreta had six points during the spurt in which Clemson went more than six minutes without a field goal.

Harold Jamison and McIntyre each hit a pair of free throws but Vidaurreta scored two baskets inside to preserve a nine-point Wake Forest lead into the final two minutes.

Tony Christie sank a 3-pointer with 1:29 left and McIntyre hit a 3-pointer 19 seconds later to trim the Demon Deacons’ lead to three.

But Songaila made two free throws with 1:04 remaining and Hicks scored on a breakaway lay-up to put the Demon Deacons up 71-64.

Clemson got no closer than five points in the final minute as the Demon Deacons sank 10 of 12 free throws to put the game away.

Wake Forest led 34-33 at halftime after trailing by as many as 10 early in the game. Christie sank a 3-pointer from the left corner with 11:49 remaining in the half to put Clemson up 19-9 but Wake Forest answered with a 9-0 run over the next four minutes.

Jurkunas scored inside but Hicks hit his second 3-pointer of the half from the top of the key to tie the game at 21-21 with 6:23 left.

Songaila scored six points in the final five minutes as Wake Forest built a first-half lead as large as four.