LEXINGTON, Ky. – Preseason All-American Jacobo Diaz scored 17 points to lead IUP's national television effort in an 86-64 exhibition game loss to No. 2 Kentucky Friday night at Rupp Arena.
 
Diaz went 4-of-10 from the field, drained three 3-pointers, and made all six from the foul line in 37 minutes as the Crimson Hawks impressed on a live SEC Network production.
 
IUP didn't back down playing against the John Calipari-led team filled with freshman making up the nation's number two recruiting class.
 
The Crimson Hawks won the turnover battle, forcing Kentucky into 14 turnovers, and made the most from their trips to the foul line going 14-of-18 from the charity stripe.
 
Three other IUP players joined Diaz as double-digit scorers, as junior guard Malik Miller finished with 16 points, senior forward Willem Brandwijk had 14, and senior guard Dante Lombardi added 13.
 
Brandwijk dazzled early, getting to the rim for two big dunks and converted another bucket in traffic to tie the game at 10-10 less than four minutes in to the contest.
 
After a 3-pointer by senior guard Greg Bearer, the Wildcats went on a 14-0 run to take a 30-13 lead and seemingly put the game away early.
 
But IUP bounced right back and led by seniors Diaz and Lombardi responded with a 12-4 run. The two traded 3-pointers to close the gap to nine points at 34-25 with just over four minutes to play in the half. After trailing by those 17 points, the Crimson Hawks outscored Kentucky 21-13 in the final 8:50 of the first half and trailed 43-34 going into the locker room.
 
IUP kept it close early in the second half, twice cutting its deficit to five points with buckets from Miller and Lombardi.
 
The IUP defense continued to keep the game within reach, but scoring droughts by the offense prevented the Crimson Hawks from getting any closer than nine points.
 
With a 64-55 lead, Kentucky used a 13-4 run to go on top by 18 points with five minutes to play and led by as many as 24 points late in the night.
 
Notes
The Crimson Hawks are ranked No. 8 in the NABC Division II preseason coaches poll … Kentucky is No. 2 in the AP Division I preseason top 25 … IUP is ranked in the preseason top 25 for the 10th straight season … IUP starters included Diaz and Brandwijk in the post, and Lombardi, Miller and redshirt freshman Armoni Foster at the guard spots … Lombardi was an efficient playmaker with six assists and just one turnover in 39 minutes … IUP head coach Joe Lombardi annually challenges his team with Division I exhibitions, including Villanova and Syracuse (2016), Siena (2015), Pittsburgh (2012 and 2014), South Florida (2014), Michigan State (2013), La Salle (2013), Maryland (2012), Florida State (2011) and Georgia Tech (2010) … this was the only exhibition of 2018-19 for IUP.
 
Up next
The Crimson Hawks officially open up their 2018-19 season as they host the IRMC/Hilton Garden Inn Classic November 9-10 at the Kovalchick Complex. IUP will face Concord Friday night and No. 16 Virginia State Saturday night, with each game tipping at 7:30 p.m. Concord finished 2017-18 with a 17-13 record while Virginia State went 25-5 and was the top ranked team in the Atlantic Region.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP Men's Basketball on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUP_MBB.