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Photo by John Wagner

FAIRBANKS — The Alaska Dream may be new to the American Basketball Association, but that didn’t prevent them from putting on an uptempo clinic against the San Francisco Rumble Friday in the opener of the Dare to Dream Tournament.

The Anchorage-based Dream broke open a close game at the Carlson Center by scoring 84 second-half points in a 139-113 exhibition pasting of the Rumble, and they did so by relying on pressure defense, fast-break offense and the ABA’s unique “3-D” rule.

“It’s a game of attrition,” said Dream coach Al Sokaitis, a former men’s basketball coach for the Alaska Nanooks. “We want to run, we want to defend. We want to make somebody play 48 minutes.”

Said former Nanook Andrew Smith, who scored 20 points, one of seven players to achieve that benchmark: “It’s nice to get up and down (the court) again. ... We found our rhythm, we got going, we got our steals, we got running and everything kind of came together.”

The game was still up for grabs late in the third quarter at 83-74 for the Dream before they tallied eight quick points in rapid-fire succession and never looked back.

First, guard Marques Echols (formerly of Seattle Pacific University) scored on a putback, then, after a back-court turnover. Jeremiah Ward made a basket worth three points and Echols followed with a traditional 3-pointer after an emphatic block by former Nanook Justin Bourne.

A basket worth three points not scored from behind the 3-point line? That’s one of the special ABA rules, where on a backcourt turnover the red “3-D” light is literally turned on and subsequent field goals and 3-pointers count an extra point.

The Dream took advantage at least five times, and broke San Francisco’s back with a pair of four-pointers by Echols, who scored all of his game-high 28 points after halftime.

“They actually put our own number on us. They pressed us and they played good basketball,” Rumble coach Fulton Mitchell said. “That’s the first time I think a team ever did that to us (by scoring so often on 3-D).”

The Dream immediately fell behind 11-2 before Ward, with five first-half 3-pointers, helped gradually bring them back.

“My teammates got me the ball in the right position and I just had to make the shot,” said Ward, who played college ball at Humboldt State and tallied 24 points.

Echols similarly found many good looks off turnovers or in transition as the Rumble wore down.

“He’s the beneficiary of everybody doing their job. If we steal the ball in transition, it’s hard to defend,” said Sokaitis, who substituted almost continuously to keep his team fresher. “The first half, Jeremiah lit it up for the same reason.”

While the attendance was smaller than at the now-canceled BP Top of the World Classic the Dare to Dream aims to replace, the Carlson Center got into the fast-paced action and got engaged in various giveaways and other entertainment.

“The crowd really helped us out on defense,” Ward said. “Because you hear somebody yell your name, or ‘Go Alaska’ and that gets you hyped up.”

San Francisco coach Mitchell was also hyped up, but not in a positive manner. He felt the officials did not have an adequate grasp of the ABA’s rules and berated them most of the game, finally drawing a technical foul in the second half.

“The refs didn’t know the rules, but I knew that ahead of time,” a more relaxed Mitchell said in the postgame media conference. “They are not the reason why we lost the game. Alaska’s the reason why we lost the game.”

Mitchell, however, looks forward to a meeting next month in Anchorage. The Rumble will also get to host the Dream in February.

“I take my hat off to Alaska, but I’ll see you in December,” Mitchell said, smiling. “When it counts (in the official standings).”

Guard Derek Foster led San Francisco with 26 points, half of them in the first quarter when the Rumble led 30-22.

In Friday’s nightcap, the Maywood Buzz grabbed a huge lead and held off the Las Vegas Aces, 119-107.

Tonight’s action continues with the Dream taking on the Aces at 6 followed by the Buzz and Rumble at 8:30. The round-robin tournament concludes Sunday with the Dream against the Buzz at 3 p.m. and the Rumble against the Aces at 5:30.

Contact staff writer Matias Saari at 459-7581.