Colorado Springs – This was a résumé entry in bold letters.
Underline it, put it in fancy lettering, do what you want. Air Force’s 94-58 rout of Wake Forest on Wednesday night at the World Arena was an attention-grabber in every sense.
AFA coach Jeff Bzdelik added the final touch, pointing out his 7-1 team still has played only two games at the academy’s Clune Arena. He doesn’t think the soaring Falcons are in awe of any opponent. And they showed it, setting a season high for points against an Atlantic Coast Conference team that had been 5-0 and totaling 23 assists on 33 field goals.
“I think we’ve gotten over that,” Bzdelik said of playing high-profile competition. “Just going out there and playing the teams on our schedule – Duke, Texas Tech, at Colorado, two Atlantic Coast Conference teams now – our schedule is tough and that helps us get over that awe.”
The Demon Deacons left the World Arena with their worst defeat since a 100-63 loss to North Carolina in 1984.
Wake Forest scored the first seven points and picked up the pressure on defense, but the Falcons answered the call with a 15-point run that opened a 20-9 lead and they never looked back.
“We knew that was their game,” Bzdelik said, “and we prepared for that every day in practice. We reacted well to that.”
The Falcons shot a sizzling 64 percent from the field in the first half and 60 percent for the game. They were 11-for-23 from 3-point range, with 6-foot-6 senior forward Jacob Burtschi hitting 4-of-5 attempts beyond the arc. He had a game-high 21 points.
All five Air Force starters scored in double figures. Nick Welch, a 6-8 senior center, contributed a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Kyle Visser, a 6-11 senior center, was the only Wake Forest player to reach double figures. He scored 14 points.
Recovering from their slow start, the Falcons gained control of the game by taking a 47-23 lead into the second half.
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser didn’t stop with just saluting Air Force’s 3-point shooting. His team was called for 21 fouls, nine more than Air Force.
“They were good in a lot of things,” Prosser said. “The 3-point shooting was part of it, but they were good in a lot of things.”
Air Force senior guard Matt McCraw, who scored 18 points, pointed out the Demon Deacons are noted for playing pressure defense.
“We tried to play Air Force basketball, slow the game down and execute our offense to the best of our ability,” McCraw said. “They had a seven-point run to open the game. We have to be better at the beginning of the game.”
WAKE FOREST (5-1)
Skeen 2-5 0-0 5, Visser 6-9 2-2 14, Hale 1-7 2-2 4, I. Smith 3-6 0-0 7, Williams 0-1 0-2 0, Dukes 2-6 2-2 6, Stanley 0-3 0-0 0, McFarland 0-0 0-0 0, Swinton 3-4 1-2 7, Gurley 2-10 0-0 6, Drum 0-3 2-2 2, Weaver 1-1 0-0 2, Crawford 2-5 0-0 5. Totals 22-60 9-12 58.
AIR FORCE (7-1)
Burtschi 8-12 1-2 21, Nwaelele 3-6 3-4 11, Welch 8-12 1-2 17, McCraw 4-6 8-9 18, Anderson 5-7 0-0 13, Henke 0-2 0-0 0, Hood 1-1 0-0 2, Merriex 0-0 0-0 0, Teets 0-0 0-0 0, Holland 1-2 0-0 2, Kenzik 0-1 2-2 2, Johnson 0-1 1-2 1, Maren 0-0 0-2 0, Parker 1-1 1-1 3, Frye 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 33-55 17-24 94.
Halftime – Air Force 47-23. 3-point goals – Wake Forest 5-22 (Gurley 2-7, I. Smith 1-1, Skeen 1-3, Crawford 1-4, Drum 0-1, Dukes 0-1, Stanley 0-2, Hale 0-3); Air Force 11-23 (Burtschi 4-5, Anderson 3-4, McCraw 2-4, Nwaelele 2-4, Welch 0-1, Holland 0-1, Frye 0-1, Kenzik 0-1, Henke 0-2). Fouled out – Williams. Rebounds – Wake Forest 31 (Dukes 5, Swinton 5), Air Force 34 (Welch 10). Assists – Wake Forest 12 (I. Smith 5), Air Force 23 (Anderson 7). Total fouls – Wake Forest 21, Air Force 12. A – 5,329.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
