Milan Momcilovic did not disappoint in his debut for No. 23 Kentucky, as the sharpshooter scored 24 points to lead the Wildcats to an 85-57 season-opening victory over Manhattan on Tuesday in Lexington, Ky.
The 6-foot-9 wing, who transferred from Iowa State in the spring after leading the nation last season in 3-point shooting, went 6-for-9 from beyond the arc on Tuesday. He shot 8-for-12 overall and added five rebounds for the Wildcats.
Kentucky struggled early against the Jaspers, as the visitors led 13-9 with 12:24 left in the first half. However, the Wildcats quickly found their stroke and put the game away with a 25-3 run over a six-minute span. A three-point play by Malachi Moreno made it 34-16 with 6:03 remaining until halftime.
The Wildcats went 8-for-9 from the floor during the run, helping them shoot 54.8% (17-for-31) in the first half as they built the lead to 48-22 by halftime. Momcilovic scored 11 in the first half and made 3 of 5 from long range.
Manhattan, meanwhile, made just three of its last 17 shots in the first half as the Wildcats pulled away.
Kentucky’s Zoom Diallo added 12 points, and Alex Wilkins finished with 11 points, five assists and a career-high seven steals. Moreno had eight points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Kentucky outrebounded Manhattan 40-26, with the Wildcats getting 14 offensive boards that led to 16 second-chance points.
Kentucky shot 53.3% (32-for-60) from the floor and 12-for-31 (38.7%) from outside, and that included the Wildcats missing their final six shots, including five 3-point attempts, in the final 3:13 when the game was well in hand.
The Jaspers were led by Novak Manojlovic and Kevin Kearney, who both scored 11 points. Manhattan had trouble scoring, shooting 19-for-54 (35.2%) from the floor. That included going 7-for-26 (26.9%) from the 3-point arc and making just 7 of 15 layup attempts.