The ‘Cats won their first game of the season by a score of 85-57 against the Manhattan Jaspers on Tuesday night at Rupp Arena. Star transfer Milan Momcilovic led the ‘Cats offense on opening night with a game-high 24-points on 6 of 9 shooting from three. Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins led the back-court attack for the ‘Cats with 23 combined points and 7 assists between the guard duo. The ‘Cats shot 38% (12 of 31) from three as a team and 53% from the field. It was a feel good first win of the season as the ‘Cats head into a defining season for Head Coach Mark Pope. The ‘Cats have another tune-up game this Friday versus James Madison before they take on Tyran Stokes and the No. 17 Kansas Jayhawks next Tuesday in Chicago.
Pre-Game Overview:
The starting lineup for the ‘Cats featured Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Ousmane N’Diaye, Milan Momcilovic, and Malachi Moreno.
The spread for Saturday afternoon’s game was –33.5 (Kentucky) and the Over/Under was set at 158.5.
Game Recap:
First Half
The ‘Cats tipped off their season at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night to open the 2026-27 season. The ‘Cats lost the opening tip and Diallo picked up his first foul of the game. Diallo then missed the first shot of the game, a corner three. N’Diaye missed a three but Moreno picked up the board and N’Diaye scored the first points of the season. The Jaspers then answered with a score. Moreno spun into a defender and was called for the offensive foul. Tweedy scored for the Jaspers to give Manhattan a 4-2 lead. Diallo lost the ball and the Jaspers raced for another score. Moreno found a Momcilovic three and scored on the putback. Wilkins dribbled his way into a missed three. Tweedy nailed a corner three for a 9-4 Manhattan lead. Diallo nailed the first three of the season for the ‘Cats. The Jaspers led 9-7 at the first media timeout. Freshman guard Mason Williams checked in for the ‘Cats during the break. Pearce hit a three to give the Jaspers a 12-7 lead. Kepnang scored with a good pass from Diallo. Wilkins nailed a three with a defender in front of him to bring the score to 13-12 Jaspers. Hawthorne found McBride for a corner three for a 15-13 Kentucky lead. The ‘Cats then ran a rebound down the floor for another three, this time from Williams. The ‘Cats took a 18-13 lead into the under 12-minute media timeout with an 11-1 run in a 2-minute span of action. Williams drove past his defender off the dribble and scored at the rim. Wilkins pump-faked a three and nailed the shot for a 25-15 ‘Cats lead. Hawthorne nailed a short mid-range jumper for his first points. The ‘Cats led 27-16 with 7:56-minutes to play in the first half shooting 50% from three and 56% from the field with Wilkins leading the way with 6-points. Momcilovic nailed his first three of the season on another pump-fake from the ‘Cats. Moreno powered his way to the bucket for a score and the foul. Momcilovic picked up an offensive board and nailed a floater. Momcilovic peeled off a screen and nailed another three for a 41-19 Kentucky lead. Wilkins scored on a runner in the paint. Momcilovic nailed another three for the ‘Cats, their 8th of the first half. Wilkins stole a pass and found N’Diaye for a transition slam. The ‘Cats took a 48-22 lead into the half.
The ‘Cats shot 55% from the field in the first half and 44% (8 of 18) from beyond the arc. Their defense held the Jaspers to just 29% shooting from the field and 17% (2 of 12) from three. Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic led all scorers in the half with 11-points, followed by Alex Wilkins with 8-points. The ‘Cats finished the half with a 10:5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Halftime: Kentucky 48 – Manhattan 22
Second Half
The ‘Cats began the second half with the ball and Momcilovic began the second half as he ended the first with a three to give him 14-points. Diallo then drove in for a score. Momcilovic was fouled on a drive the basket and went to the line. He hit both to bring the score to 55-24 ‘Cats. Diallo navigated his way for a transition score. Diallo again scored at the rim off a drive, this time to answer a Manhattan three. The ‘Cats led 59-29 with 16:32-minutes to play. Moreno slammed in a basket in the paint for the ‘Cats. Wilkins answered a Jaspers score with a deep three. Hawthorne rejected a three for an impressive athletic play on the defensive end. Momcilovic hit a paint floater for a 67-33 Kentucky lead. The Jaspers nailed a deep three to make it 67-38 ‘Cats with 10-minutes to play. Williams drove and scored with a physical mid-range jumper. Kepnang slammed home a strong drive at the rim and the ‘Cats took a 75-39 lead into the under 8-minute media timeout. McBride missed a three but Hawthorne slammed in a putback dunk with his length. Momcilovic nailed his 5th three of the game for a 80-42 Kentucky lead. He then responded with another deep three to give him 24-points in the game. The Jaspers responded with a three of their own. Hawthorne ran down a Jasper in transition and rejected a layup. Manhattan hit a deep three but Hawthorne responded with a fade-away jumper. Potter missed his first shot of the season, a three at the top of the key. The ‘Cats went on to win their first game of the season by a score of 85-57.
Final: Kentucky 85 – Manhattan 57
Game Stats:
Manhattan FG %: 35% (27% 3PT – 7 of 26) (52% FT – 12 of 23)
Kentucky FG %: 53% (39% 3PT – 12 of 31) (82% FT – 9 of 11)
Rebounds: 40 – 62 Kentucky
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 20:14
Turnovers: UK (14), Manhattan (13)
Bench Points: 27 – 26 Manhattan
Points off Turnovers: 18 – 18 Tie
Fast Break Points: 19 – 7 Kentucky
Paint Points: 30 – 18 Vanderbilt
Player Stats:
Milan Momcilovic – [(24 points) (5 rebounds) (1 assist)]
Zoom Diallo – [(12 points) (3 rebounds) (2 assists) (2 steals)]
Alex Wilkins – [(11 points) (2 rebounds) (5 assists) (7 steals)]
Malachi Moreno – [(8 points) (10 rebounds) (2 assists)]
Braydon Hawthorne – [(8 points) (5 rebounds) (4 assists) (2 blocks)]
Franck Kepnang – [(8 points) (3 rebounds)]
Mason Williams – [(7 points) (5 assists)]
Ousmane N’Diaye – [(4 points) (4 rebounds) (1 block)]
Justin McBridge – [(3 points) (2 rebounds) (1 assist) (1 block)]
Reece Potter – [(2 rebounds)]
Zyon Hawthorne – [(1 rebound)]
Kam Williams – [OUT]
Jerone Morton – [OUT]
Trent Noah – [OUT]
Next Game:
The No. 23 Kentucky Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 SEC) will return to Rupp Arena to take on the James Madison Dukes (0-1) on Friday, November 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
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