LEXINGTON, KY – The Manhattan Jaspers Men's Basketball team (0-1, 0-0 Metro) fell to the University of Kentucky Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 SEC) 85-57 inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Jaspers opened the evening in a raucous Rupp Arena, with Novak Manojlovic, Ben Tweedy, and Josiah Sabino each posting six straight points to give the team a jolt of energy.
- Tweedy extended the lead to as much as five, nailing a booming three-pointer just before the media timeout.
- Three-pointers continued to reign supreme, with newly added Ben Pearce joining the early party to re-extend the lead to as much as five.
- After Kentucky went on an early run, with under 10 minutes in the first half, Kevin Kearney broke up the 15-to-1 run with a second-chance layup down low.
- Late in the first half, Manojlovic put together a highlight-reel hook shot to cut the Kentucky lead in half.
- Opening the second half, Manojlovic continued to power through with a pair of down-low baskets. Ben Pearce added another triple off a turnover.
- Liam McChesney put together his first basket as a Jasper from the near corner of the bench.
- With 10 minutes remaining, Anthony Pacciarelli logged a steal and found Ben Tweedy in a corner to land another triple.
- Off the bench, Asier Miguel logged a three down the stretch in the final few minutes, before Dusan Eric closed out the game with two back-to-back triples to seal the win.
STATS AND NOTES
- Forward Novak Manojlovic went 5-for-10 from the floor, grabbed two boards, and totaled 11 points.
- Junior forward Kevin Kearney went 3-for-7, posted 5-of-6 from the charity stripe, and grabbed three rebounds, with one block in 18 minutes.
- Junior guard Ben Tweedy netted two three-pointers, with one rebound and three assists in 21 minutes.
- Graduate guard Ben Pearce posted two triples in five total attempts, with two rebounds, two steals, and one block in his Jasper debut.
- Manhattan posted 27 points off the bench, compared to 26 for the Wildcats on the night.
- Freshman forward Dusan Eric added two triples in four minutes off the bench.
- In the second half, the Jaspers shot 42.3 percent from the field, going 11-for-26.
NEXT UP
The Green and White are back in action on Thursday, November 5, when the Great Danes of the University of Albany head southbound to Draddy Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. opening tip to kick off the 2026-27 home campaign. The contest is available on ESPN+ with a paid subscription.
Follow Manhattan Men's Basketball on X at @ManhattanMBB and Instagram at @Jaspers.MBB.
