Dayton, Dillard pose difficulties for Dukes
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Duquesne senior guard Eric Evans knows what a handful Dayton's Kevin Dillard can be to guard.
He faced him for three years in AAU basketball in Detroit and has seen on tape how far his game has evolved.
The Dukes (12-9, 3-4 Atlantic 10 Conference) face the Flyers tonight in a daunting road test that marks the halfway point in the league schedule.
"I've been playing against him since I was 15 years old," said Evans. "He can shoot and pass. He's a guy who can score. We contain him, I think we can do a good job."
- Matchup: Duquesne (12-9, 3-4, Atlantic 10) at Dayton (14-7, 4-3), 7 p.m. today, UD Arena, Dayton, Ohio.
- Radio, Internet: WPGB-FM (104.7), RedZoneMedia.com.
- Duquesne: Coming off a 71-68 loss against La Salle. ... Is 2-5 on the road this year. ... Ranked No. 3 in nation in turnover margin (+5.8). ... Sean Johnson leads the team in scoring (15.5points per game). ... B.J. Monteiro averages a team-leading 5.3 rebounds per game.
- Dayton: Point guard Kevin Dillard leads team in scoring (12.5 ppg). ... Has the highest-scoring offense in A-10 games (78.4ppg), but second-worst scoring defense (allowing 77.1). ... Forward Chris Johnson had a 13th career double-double against Rhode Island (20 points, 12 rebounds).
- Hidden stat: Dayton owns seven victories against top-100 RPI opponents this season.
Dillard might be the breakout point guard this season in the A-10.
He's the league's assist leader (6.2 per game, ranked 16th in the country), and is coming off a 13-assist performance in a loss against Rhode Island.
"He physically changes the game with his speed, the way he passes the ball," said coach Ron Everhart. "On top of that, he's a great shooter. You start putting point-guard packages together, I don't know if you could put together a better one."
Dillard, of course, is not the only piece of the puzzle for Dayton (14-7, 4-3).
Dayton has the sixth-ranked scoring offense (71.9), second-ranked free-throw percentage (.753) and third-best rebounding margin (+3.3).
First Published February 1, 2012 12:00 am
