LEXINGTON, KY. – Manchester University put four of its five starters in double figures Saturday, Jan. 10, highlighting a close-knit Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference clash with Transylvania University of Kentucky. TU used a late roll to capture a 64-61 victory.
Freshman guard Brody Kirby (Frankfort, Ind.) led the charge for the Black and Gold (2-11 overall, 1-5 HCAC) registering a personal single-game high 16 points. He didn't stop his contributions there, either, as he also dished out two assists and blocked two Pioneer shot attempts. Joining the impressive underclassman marks, sophomore guards Chase Casteel (Monrovia, Ind.) and Blake Brouwer (Elkhart, Ind.) ended with 13 and 14 points, respectively. Junior forward Matt Brown (Hobart, Ind.) was just off a double-double, tallying 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Spartans, limiting their hosts (5-8, 2-4 HCAC) to just over 21 percent overall and 18.8 percent from outside the arc shooting in the first 20 minutes, scored 13 of the game's first 18 points and continued to hold a 27-20 lead at halftime. MU, appearing on the verge of a big league road victory, remained in front 58-54 with 3:14 left before TU answered with a decisive 10-3 run.
Manchester University continues conference action taking a trip to Anderson University's O.C. Lewis Gymnasium Wednesday, Jan. 14. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.
NOTES: Brouwer's afternoon wrapped up a strong week. He tallied 35 points against Franklin College and Transylvania for a 17.5 points per game average. The two-game set saw his season average rise better than a point (10.4-11.5) in the span. The sophomore is also harboring a run of three successive contests in which he's hit multiple three-pointers … Casteel also had a big week, averaging 11.5 points per outing versus FC and TU, to raise his points-per-game mark nearly a point-and-a-half (3.4 – 4.8) … MU's 10 treys equaled their total against Earlham College Dec. 6 as a co-single-season high. They've eight-or-more in nine contests … The Pioneers were led by junior forward Parker Stansberry. He topped the home team with 23 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.