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IUP's Dallis Dillard ends two-year layoff by scoring 29 points in season-opening win over Concord
Dallis Dillard wasn’t trying to make up for lost time.
It just looked that way on the stat sheet after he ran into a couple old friends.
Dillard, a 6-foot-3 redshirt senior guard playing for the first time in nearly two years, started his comeback tour — and IUP’s — by scoring a career-high 29 points in a 93-74 season-opening win over Concord (W.Va.) in the Hilton Garden Inn Classic at Memorial Field House on Friday night.
“The ball found me. The rim was my friend,” he said.
Dillard, from Harlem, N.Y., last played in a game on Dec. 10, 2023. He blew out his knee that day while blocking a shot, and IUP never replaced his production, finishing 17-13, ending a string of 14 straight seasons with more than 20 wins and falling out of contention for a fifth straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship.
Things didn’t get better last year when Dillard watched from the bench while recovering from major surgery. IUP finished 14-16, its first sub-.500 season since its second under 20th-year coach Joe Lombardi.
Now, Dillard is back, and he wants to lead the Crimson Hawks’ ascension to their familiar lofty heights.
“I played pretty well. It’s been a long time,” he said. “I just want to be a leader vocally and with my actions and bring a sense of maturity that we were missing. We were just playing our offense, and we did a good job passing the ball. It just so happened it got in my hands a lot on a night the ball was going in and my teammates were finding me.”
The best part of the night came when the gym was mostly empty and Dillard returned to the court for a hug from his mom, Valerie, who waited in the bleachers to greet her son after the long-anticipated comeback.
“Whether I scored 29 or 10 I was going to be happy with a win,” Dillard said. “If you’re worried about personal accolades, then you should go play golf or something. I’m not here for personal accolades. I’m just here for the team and I try to be the best contributor I can be — especially in front of my mom. I’m going to hold onto this for a long time with her being here.”
Dillard was 10-for-20 from the field and 7-for-10 from the free throw line. He also had five rebounds and two steals.
“I was glad Dallis played within himself,” Lombardi said. “He’s elite. Dallis makes other guys better when he doesn’t score the ball just from other things he does.”
“He does what he does,” Bautista Rodriguez, a sophomore forward who watched from the bench with Dillard last season, said. “I’m not surprised at this point because he has that killer mentality. I worked out with him the whole summer, so I know what he’s capable of. I know he put in all the work, and recovering from the knee, he got stronger and ready for the season. I’m happy for him. I’m really happy for him and really love him, and he’s going to lead us.”
Bautista, a native of Argentina, made his collegiate debut as a starter. He finished with four points and five rebounds in 28 minutes. After playing two years internationally after high school, he came to IUP last year as a highly regarded 6-6 freshman. But he had to sit out when the NCAA denied his eligibility due to a rule regarding international players.
With his return in sight, he suffered a setback in his conditioning when an ankle injury knocked him out of preseason workouts for 2½ weeks. He felt it in the opener.
“At one point I felt like I was dying,” he said. “I haven’t run like that in three years. It was pain that was enjoyable. I was enjoying having that pain in my chest and trying to catch air. I had a smile the whole game. I didn’t care what I did, I was just happy to be on the court and share this with these guys. We’ve all been practicing and waiting for this, and just to be able to do it with them is nice.”
“Bautista will play a lot better,” Lombardi said. “He shows a lot in practice. He’ll be a lot more effective.”
Dillard was one of five Hawks to score in double figures. Senior guard Christian Moore scored 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting, and sophomore point guard Kymani Merraro scored 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting. He also handed out seven assists and did not commit a turnover.
Senior forward Damir Brooks posted a double-double with 10 points — he dunked three times — and 11 rebounds, and sophomore forward Tyler Grove finished with 10 points. Ian Herring didn’t get a double-double, but the sophomore forward raked in 13 rebounds to go with eight points.
“It was fun,” Moore said. “We got that joy back. After having a tough year last year and now having the pieces back, you could tell the energy in the air was just different.”
IUP shot 57.8 percent (38-for-66) from the field, led the rebounding by 12 (44-32), committed only 10 turnovers and had 16 assists. Down 13-9, the Hawks mounted a 26-8 run to take a double-digit lead that stood at 14 at halftime and slipped below 10 for only one possession early in the second half. Their biggest lead was 22.
Concord shot 41.3 percent (26-for-63) and committed 11 turnovers. Josiah Rickards scored 19 points, Anfernee Hanna added 17 and 6-8 junior Boubacar Djigo had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
“There were a lot of things to be pleased with,” Lombardi said. “One thing is just guys trying to accept what their roles are and finding them.”
IUP plays Lincoln at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the field house. Admission is free.
Lincoln topped Pitt-Johnstown in Friday’s first game, 75-73. Pitt-Johnstown led for all but the first two minutes of the second half and the last 37 seconds of the game.
Bonard Johnson, a 6-2 junior guard, led Lincoln with 25 points. Julius Alanrewaju, a 6-5 freshman, posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Draven Pilson, a 6-8 sophomore, finished with 11 points. His 3-pointer with 37 seconds to go gave Lincoln a 73-71 lead, and the Lions held on from there.
Jay Rose scored 17 points off the bench to lead Pitt-Johnstown. Cedric Rault had 16, Ryan Calo 11 and Baden Forup 10.
“It’s a different challenge,” Lombardi said. “Lincoln is big and athletic, and we’ll see if we can find some weaknesses and expose them.”
Dillard said, “We need to have a mature approach and come out of the weekend 2-0 to start a good year and a good year to be a Hawk.”
Pitt-Johnstown plays Concord in Saturday’s first game at 5:15 p.m.
