It was either the bad pregame polka music or the high-intensity Panther defense that forced the Morehead State Eagles to shoot a miserable 28 percent in the first half and help lead Eastern to a 76-51 win Thursday night at Lantz Gym.

Panther senior guard Kyle Hill set the tone for Eastern (RECORD) early in the game by scoring 10 of his team’s first 12 points en route to a game-high 26 points and seven assists.

“I tried getting to the basket early,” Hill said. “I worked inside-out tonight and really felt confident in my shot.”

The Panther defense was the key as Eastern kept the Eagles off balance all night. Eastern’s post trap and ball pressure forced Morehead to consistently take contested shots.

“I was pleased tonight because I had hoped we’d see an aggressive defensive effort,” Panther head coach Rick Samuels said. “I thought that if we kept defending well, then they’d have trouble scoring consistently.”

Morehead’s Kyle Umberger, who had led the Eagles (RECORD) with 26 points the last time these two teams met, was limited to seven points on 3-of-13 shooting thanks in part to Eastern’s rotating defense and freshman Ryan Kelly’s four blocked shots.

“I got an opportunity tonight, and I had to take advantage of it,” Kelly said. “Each game I’ve gotten more comfortable with the physical play of Division I basketball.”

“He got some extended minutes tonight,” Samuels said of Kelly’s performance. “He was able to get comfortable and really showed his athletic ability on some of those blocked shots.

“We were able to take away their two biggest strengths: the high screen and their post up,” he said. “Umberger was not effective at beating the trap, and we broke down what they were trying to do.”

The Panthers had opened up a 34-17 lead midway through the first half, but the Eagles were able to close the gap to 38-27 going into the halftime. Eastern then opened the second half with a track meet-like pace.

First ,it was a high-flying alley-oop dunk from Todd Bergmann to Kyle Hill that erupted the crowd. Then it was Bergmann’s turn to serve up a base line facial on Eagles forward Andrew Keating. And finally Henry Domercant rocked the rim, compliments of Matt Brittion sparking a 12-4 Panther run.

“We talked about (not letting Morehead back into the game) at the beginning of the second half,” Samuels said. “If we let them back in it the first five minutes of the second half, we were going to go to the wire. But we didn’t let them do that.”

After a Morehead timeout, the Eagles tried to stop the offensive onslaught by playing a zone defense. Eastern quickly shot Morehead out of their zone behind Jesse Mackinson’s six points.

“They went zone on us and we became a little impatient,” Hill said. “But once we settled down we were able to find Jesse in the soft spot and really open things up.”

The win stretched Eastern’s home undefeated streak to 13 games and has the team confident in hosting a first-round Ohio Valley Conference game Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

“We’re undefeated at home, and I think the kids are starting to take pride in that,” Samuels said. “Right now, any let down (at home) could be dangerous.”

“We play our best basketball at home,” Hill added. “So having the home crowd with us is a huge plus (going into the tournament).”

Eastern will have one more home game on Saturday night against Eastern Kentucky before the conference tournament opens on Tuesday.