Dayton coach Archie Miller got the ball in the hands of his best scorer with a chance to win the game, but the play he designed was blown up by Weber State’s defense.

Or maybe the Flyers’ problems were self-inflicted.

Trailing by one, Miller called timeout with 33 seconds left and wanted point guard Kevin Dillard to come off a high ball screen, get free and then make a pass or shoot. But a Weber State defender slipped under the pick, and Dillard was scrambling after that.

He eventually found Josh Benson under the basket, but the senior forward was trapped on the baseline and was whistled for a three-second violation with nine seconds left in a 62-61 defeat Wednesday.

“What we like to do is give Kevin an opportunity to use his right hand and turn off the ball screen downhill (going toward the basket). But it was a poorly executed play because we missed the ball screen, and his man was allowed to go under. And that’s details,” Miller said.

“You plead every day about the details. It’s as simple a thing as (not) hitting a guy on the screen that didn’t allow Kevin to get sprung open.”

Benson had a strong game with 17 points and nine rebounds, but he couldn’t get a shot off from where he was positioned.

“It was the heat of the moment,” Benson said. “I didn’t see anybody at the time, but I did have Vee (Sanford) open in the corner. That’s a mistake we all make.

“We can’t hang our heads over it. It’s a long season. We’ve got a lot more games to play.”

Asked if he considered calling timeout, Benson said: “I thought about calling timeout, but I wasn’t sure if we had a timeout.”

Although one was available, Miller clearly didn’t think the game was decided by just a single play.

“He could have called one. I could have called one. And we could have played better defense,” he said.

Tough foe: The Wildcats went into the game just 1-2, but they’re a seasoned team that has experienced much success.

They have made five postseason appearances in the last six years, playing the NCAA tourney in 2007, the NIT in ’09 and ’10, the College Basketball Invitational in ’11 and the CollegeInsider.com tourney last season.

“Hats off to Weber State. We knew when we scheduled the game, we knew when we watched them on film, that this was going to be a dogfight,” Miller said.

“That is a winning, tough-minded team that has played three of its first (four) games on the road. Coming all the way to Dayton, Ohio, I tell you they were prepared, they were ready, they were physical and they executed.

“To be honest with you in the second half they had their way with us.”

Coughing it up: The Flyers forced the Wildcats into 12 turnovers in the first 18 minutes after coaxing 25 out of Manhattan on Saturday.

But Weber State regained its footing after that early spell, committing just six more.