Lantz Arena will host the biggest matchup of the Ohio Valley Conference Thursday at 7:10 p.m. at Lantz Arena when Eastern (7-11, 2-4) hosts Tennessee Tech (11-8, 4-2).

Panthers’ guard and the nation’s second leading scorer Henry Domercant and Golden Eagles’ center Damien Kinloch will showcase their abilities in a crucial conference game for both teams.

Domercant is averaging 26.6 points per game and is third on the OVC all-time scoring list with 2270 points. However, the OVC preseason player of the year has only shot 35 percent from the field in the last six games.

“We need some players beside Henry to step up and provide an offensive lift,” Panthers head coach Rick Samuels said.

On the other hand, Golden Eagles center Damien Kinloch is coming to Charleston on a hot streak after averaging 22 points , shooting 76 percent from the floor and grabbing nearly 10 rebounds per game last week.

Kinloch can also be a force in the middle, blocking 22 shots in 19 games this season

“Damien Kinloch is obviously a premier player in this conference,” Samuels said.

The Golden Eagles are currently riding a four-game winning streak, which has lifted them to second place in the conference. However, Tech is only 2-6 away from Cookeville, Tenn.

Tech is 9-4 when they out-rebound its opponents this season and they have taken advantage of the smaller lineups in the OVC.

“Rebounding is a big concern for us,” Samuels said. “This may be the game at which our backcourt players may get six to eight rebounds.”

Golden Eagles guard Brent Jolly is shooting better from beyond the three-point arc (41 percent) than regular field goals (39 percent). Jolly is also shooting 83 percent from the charity stripe.

“Brent Jolly is an excellent perimeter shooter who’s smart, but doesn’t do much off the dribble,” Samuels said.

Samuels has hinted that his bench needs to provide more production because of the slow starts that Eastern consistently has.

“Players like Josh Gomes and Jason Wright will be forced to get significant minutes in the near future,” he said.

A good start for the Panthers may be the most important aspect against a Tech team that is 9-0 when leading at the half and 10-1 when leading with five minutes left in the game.

This is the first of Eastern’s five straight home conference contests that will culminate with the anticipated rematch with Morehead State Feb. 8. If the Panthers can put together a winning streak in Lantz Arena, they will be in good position to receive a home game in the first round of the OVC tournament.

“We’ve got everybody coming to us at least once, and in some cases twice,” Samuels said. “That’s something we talk about everyday.”