dribbling rule

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by mdray
what I'm asking (but not very well)is, if the contact with the opponent is NOT a result of a bat by the opponent -- say the ball gets away from the dribbler and it just bounces off a defender....has that dribble ended and can another one begin as a result of the ball contacting the opponent?

Yes, the dribble ended with the touching by any other player(not necessarily the defense alone), and the player can then dribble again. See rule 9-5-3- "a player shall not dribble a second time after his/her first dribble has ended, unless it is because he/she has lost control because of a pass or fumble which has then touched, or been touched by, another player".