By Taylor Nigrelli
Sports Assignment Editor
The plot thickens.
The Bonnies (14-14, 7-8) missed a chance to clinch a berth in the Atlantic 10 championship tournament Wednesday when they fell to the Dayton Flyers (16-13, 7-8) on the road, 75-63. The loss leaves the door wide open for a variety of possibilities in the final week of the regular season.
Turnovers, sloppy passes and air-balls were commonplace for both teams, but the Flyers were able to overcome their mistakes through the offensive efforts of seniors Kevin Dillard and Josh Benson, freshman Dyshawn Pierre and junior Vee Sanford. The quartet accounted for all but 20 of the team’s points.
Dillard was a thorn in the side of the Bonnies the entire game. The senior guard led his team in points with 18, dished out eight assists while running the point, grabbed five rebounds on defense and displayed his range in hitting two three-pointers.
Dillard’s most important contribution may have been his suffocating defense on senior Eric Mosley. Mosley has been the Bonnies’ most dangerous offensive weapon over the last four games, averaging 27 points per contest. Dillard held the Louisville, Ky. native to 13 points, three in the first half on 4-12 (33 percent) including 3-10 (30 percent) from beyond the three-point arch.
Senior Demitrius Conger was every bit as impressive for the Bonnies Wednesday. Where his teammates failed, Conger picked up their slack. Although the Brooklyn native seemed to be getting tossed to the ground on every possession, he put forth one of his more productive efforts of the season. He shot 8-11 from the field, drained three from beyond the arc, grabbed three rebounds and dished three assists.
The Flyers were able to expose the Bonnies’ biggest weakness, their lack of big man depth, just as Charlotte did Saturday. However, unlike Saturday, freshman Dion Wright did not step in when senior Marquise Simmons and sophomore Youssou Ndoye started to accumulate fouls. Also, unlike Saturday, both Simmons and Ndoye were thoroughly outplayed Wednesday.
Simmons was effective early on offense, scoring nine points. But the senior ran into foul trouble late in the first half and didn’t see much action from then on. He tallied only one rebound in his 15 minutes of action.
Coaches and fans alike have lamented Ndoye’s inconsistency all season, but it was not an issue in Dayton. The sophomore center played poorly from start to finish. He was a virtual non-factor on offense, scoring two points on four shots, missed easy baskets while being guarded by smaller defenders and grabbed only four rebounds despite playing at the five for his entire 25 minutes. Ndoye also struggled on defense, allowing a litany of Flyers clear paths to the basket in the second half.
In losing, the Bonnies dropped to 11th in the A-10 standings. The top 12 teams advance to the conference tournament in Brooklyn starting Thursday. With one game remaining, the Bonnies could finish anywhere from seventh to 13th.
If they’re able to pull out a victory over Fordham (6-24, 2-13) Saturday at home, they’ll clinch a spot in the tournament. With a loss, however, they’ll need some help from teams around them. The most important opponent to keep an eye on will be George Washington. The Colonials (12-16, 6-9) have lost seven of nine games and must defeat Dayton Saturday to remain in post-season contention.
The most likely scenario involves the Bonnies qualifying for the postseason while finishing in 10th or 11th place. In a conference as closely competitive as the A-10 in the upset-heavy climate of college basketball this year, it’s conceivable that any team could make a run.
But if the team’s play in the tournament resembles that of Wednesday night, it will be a short title defense for the Brown and White.
