Sports

DAYTON — The Miami RedHawks never missed William Hatcher more than they did in Wednesday night's 56-54 loss to the Dayton Flyers.

The Miami offense buckled not once, but twice under the Flyers' defensive pressure, first in the final seven minutes of the first half and again over the final 14 minutes of the second half.

"They picked up their pressure against us ... They collapsed on us and caused some turnovers," noted Miami senior forward Nathan Peavy.

"We were playing back on our heels," said Miami sophomore center Tyler Dierkers. "What Hatcher did so well for us last year was that he controlled the flow of the game."

Hatcher, Miami's senior point guard last season, was a talented veteran who could keep his cool under pressure, keep the ball alive and get it to the right players at the right time.

That's a tough job for a freshman like Miami's Alex Moosmann. The fact that the team's other point guard, Carl Richburg, is sidelined with a sprained ankle adds to the degree of difficulty.

Moosmann showed his potential against the Flyers. He had six points and six assists with only three turnovers. But potential is no match for experience, the kind that can take control of a game, even if just for a few minutes.

"I think Alex Moosmann is a great kid," Miami coach Charlie Coles said. "Think who he played against tonight. He basically played great against three guys for 32 minutes. That's phenomenal. He was a positive guy tonight. Alex is doing a great job.

"Right now, our other (point guard) is hurt. So what are we going to do. But hey, we can't cry. We've got to keep playing."

The RedHawks committed 19 turnovers and were outscored by Dayton on points off turnovers 21-8.

Inside moves

Tyler Dierkers showed Wednesday why Coles considers him one of the most improved players on the RedHawk roster this season.

Dierkers came off the bench to score five points, going 2-for-2 from the field, and he grabbed six rebounds and had two assists, a blocked shot and a steal.

He helped keep Miami in the game during its second-half slump with his defensive play. With 10:19 remaining he drew a charge against Brian Roberts, at 10:02 he spotted an opening and swooped to the basket for a slam dunk, at 9:28 he forced Marcus Johnson out of bounds with the ball, and at 8:48 he stole a bounce pass.

"It's kinda my job to play defense, create turnovers and create shots for other guys on the floor by setting screens," Dierkers said.

Dierkers was asked about his wide-open dunk. "I've noticed in the last couple of games players have been sagging off me and not really respecting me," he said.

Coming up

The RedHawks return to action next Wednesday against the Cincinnati Bearcats in a 7 p.m game to be played at U.S. Bank Arena in downtown Cincinnati. The Bearcats own an eight-game winning streak against the RedHawks.