KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kyle Hill’s last outstanding offensive performance in a Panther uniform was not enough as Eastern fell to No. 2 seeded Arizona 101-76 in first-round action of the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regional.

The senior guard had a game-high 32 points, leading the Panthers who finish the season with a 21-10 record.

“I was anxious to play,” said Hill, who stands as Eastern’s second all-time leading scorer and fell just 12 points shy of breaking the Panthers’ single-season scoring record. “We’ve been waiting two weeks, and I just wanted to get out there and play.”

Eastern led by as many as four early in the first half, but the Wildcats took a 17-16 lead seven minutes into the first half and never looked back, going on a 17-2 run on their way to a 55-33 halftime advantage.

It was Arizona’s full court press, forcing Eastern to make several turnovers, that resulted in quick transition baskets for the Wildcats.

“We don’t typically use full court pressure, but if we have someone we feel we can be effective against using that pressure, we’ll utilize it,” Arizona head coach Lute Olson said. “It certainly was a key turning point area for us because we got some steals, we totally took them out of sync and the guys did a great job on that.”

While Hill, the nation’s third leading scorer, hit 11 of 18 shots from the field, including a blazing 7 of 11 from three-point range, in the end, it would be Arizona’s inside game, not Hill’s scorching shots, that would dictate the outcome of the game.

The Wildcats outscored Eastern 64-26 in the paint as 6-7 forward Michael Wright and 7-1 senior center Loren Woods each finished the game with 17 points.

“Offensively, we knew we were going to be able to get a lot of shots in the paint,” Woods said. “We know their big guys like to play behind in the post, and that’s just great for us and any time we can get shots in the paint, we’re going to take them.”

Guard Gilbert Arenas led the way for Arizona with 21 points while point guard Richard Jefferson chipped in 12 and senior reserve Eugene Edgerson had 10.

Panther sophomore Henry Domercant, the nation’s fourth-leading scorer, added to Hill’s 32 points with 20 of his own, but Wildcat head coach Lute Olson was still pleased with his team’s defensive effort on the two.

“I was very pleased with our focus coming out and Eastern creates problems for you because of the tremendous range of Hill and Domercant,” he said. “We had to make some changes and had our big guys do some doubling up on them. Overall, I thought we did a solid job.”

Although Arizona had a 22-point halftime lead, the Wildcats outscored Eastern by just three points in the second half.

“This has not been a team that has given up in any instance this year,” Panther head coach Rick Samuels said. “In fact, this would have been the one that would have been the easiest to give up in because we got in such a hole.

“Our kids have pride, and they wanted to continue to play hard and see where they could end up,” he said.

While the 25-point loss to the nation’s No. 5 ranked team was difficult to swallow, finishing the season as the winningest team in the school’s Division I history is something the Panthers can be proud of.

“I just want to reflect on what an outstanding season these young men had,” Samuels said in his opening remarks at the postgame press conference. “We played a team that’s an excellent team that has great athletes and great depth.

“They wore us down, they beat us on the boards and they were physical on defense,” he said. “We dont feel good today, but tomorrow, we will feel very good about our season.”

And it’s a season neither Samuels, nor Hill, will ever forget.

“I told these kids before the game that they’re a special group,” Samuels said. “They’ve rejuvenated me as a coach.

“I’ve always liked coaching, but this group is always fun to be around,” he said. “I have a new enthusiasm about coaching the game of basketball.”

“Im glad to end my career like this, I enjoyed the whole year,”Hill said. “We were one as a team both on the court and outside of basketball.

“I’m sad that its over, but I’m happy about our season. It was a hell of a year.”

NOTES AND QUOTES

NO EXCUSES:

Domercant twisted his ankle early on in Fridays loss and was forced to leave the game. The 64 sophomore forward finished with 20 points, but shot just 5-17 from the floor, well below his season average.

“We’re not a team that makes excuses, and I’m not going to make excuses,” Domercant replied when asked if his bum ankle affected his shooting effort. “If it was hurting me, I wouldnt have played.

“We didn’t take care of some of the details we needed to take care of to beat a great team like Arizona. Thats why we lost.”

SIMPLY OUTPLAYED:

Despite losing by 25, the Panthers felt they were well-prepared for the game but simply couldn’t match up physically.

“I think we were very well-prepared,” senior point guard Matt Britton said. “We came out and played hard, but were not used to seeing that kind of athletic ability inside.

“I don’t think they threw anything at us we werent ready for,” he said. “I just think they kind of wore us out.”